To protect your personal information, you also need to secure the devices you use for online activity. To mark Data Privacy Week, Information Technology Services and the Office of Equity Assurance compiled seven tips to help employees and students Defend Your Data.
1. Never leave your device unattended. Whether you are out in public or in a private setting, keep it out of the reach of others.
2. Lock your device. Make sure you set up a passcode or extra security features like facial or fingerprint recognition.
3. Only download apps from verified developers and official app stores. Always check the reviews and ratings of the app and look it up online to ensure the developer is credible.
4. Periodically review your downloaded apps. Check the privacy and security settings of regularly used apps. Delete any apps you don’t recognize or no longer use. Go to your phone settings to see all downloaded apps, not just those appearing on the home screen.
5. Use antivirus software that will scan your computer for malicious apps and warn you. Employees and students get free Sophos anti-virus software for up to three personal devices.
6. Use strong authentication. Create long, unique passwords for each account and store them in a password manager. Increase security by enabling multi-factor authentication (MFA) wherever possible, especially on accounts that store sensitive information like credit card numbers.
7. Keep apps up to date for the latest security protection.
ITS has more tips to Defend Your Data. For real-time outage updates and other important announcements, follow @WVUITServices on Twitter or “like” WVU Information Technology on Facebook.