Michael Kaiser is the executive director of the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA), a U.S.-focused nonprofit organization that works to keep people secure online. The organization focuses its efforts on cyber security education to provide information and tools for people to take control over preventing cyber crimes and attacks. As October and National Cyber Security Awareness month come to a close, we asked Michael to share his thoughts on precautions people should take online.


Many people believe they know their way around the digital world as well as or better than the physical world. Everything from paying bills to phone calls to distant relatives can now be done online. People store some of their most important documents, photos and financial information electronically — and seem to be more organized than ever. Yet while people may be cyber savvy and on the cutting edge of digital culture, they may not be cyber secure.

It turns out that we are only as protected as the weakest link in our network, so if you don't take precautions, you're not just endangering yourself. You also are impacting your friends and family. For instance, a "cyber criminal" can leave his entire network at risk by using an easily guessed password like the word "password" for his email account. This innocent person inadvertently becomes an enabler of cybercrime by not being cautious.

With a growing number of people online for a significant portion of every day, it's not surprising that more people are particularly visible and vulnerable targets of cyber criminals. Often, a healthy dose of common sense and knowledge about threats are the first step. Keep these 10 tips in mind as you get on the path to becoming cyber savvy.

1. Protect your personal information. Know who is going to see it and understand the value of it and why the other party needs it before you share.
2. Create complex and lengthy passwords that include letters, numbers and symbols. Be sure to change them often, and keep in mind "password1" doesn't make the cut.
3. Don't use public networks to conduct private business.
4. Set your security software, operating system and browser to update automatically.
5. Conduct transactions only on secure sites. Look for "shttp" or "https" in the URL.
6. Use privacy, safety and other settings on social networks.
7. Understand threats and learn more at the NCSA website and the Facebook Security Page.
8. Back up important information regularly to keep your music, photos and work protected.
9. Physically protect your computer, too. If you wouldn't leave your credit card unattended in a public location, you shouldn't leave your computer either.
10. Report cyber crimes.

Remember it is our shared responsibility to stay cyber secure. Keep updated on how you can help yourself, your friends and family by becoming a fan of the Facebook Security Page and the National Cyber Security Alliance Page.


Michael hopes you'll check out the NCSA cyberskits to learn the do's and don'ts of cyber security.