Pro Tips: Staying Safe & Secure

System & Software Updates

Update Your Devices & Apps Frequently

Most modern devices and apps are updated regularly by their manufacturers. Many updates are specifically to fix security flaws, keeping you and your data safer. Up-to-date software is your first line of defense against bad actors -- configure all your devices' operating systems and your apps for automatic updates. Here's how.

• Keep your Mac up to date
• Manage updates in Windows
• How to enable auto-update to ChromeOS devices
  
  
• Update iOS on iPhone
• Check & update your Android version
  
  
• Update iPadOS
• Update your Apple Watch
  
  
• Update apps from the App Store on iPhone
• How to update the Play Store & apps on Android

If your device isn't covered by this list, please get in touch with the manufacturer's customer support.

Password Managers

Password managers are tools used to store, share, and manage passwords. Used correctly, they can save you time and help protect your online data by suggesting and storing strong, unique passwords across your accounts. 

Most modern browsers, including Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Apple Safari and Microsoft Edge, come with a password manager that's at least adequate. Google's Password Manager and Apple's Keychain are also decent options. For more robust features, consider a dedicated password management tool. Dedicated password managers offer features like sync across multiple devices and platforms, assistance in creating strong passwords, and compatibility with new technologies like passkey.

Read more about password managers, includingT&I's suggested apps.

Don't Get Hooked: Avoiding Phishing

"Phishing is a form of social engineering and a scam where attackers deceive people into revealing sensitive information or installing malware such as viruses, worms, adware, or ransomware. Phishing attacks have become increasingly sophisticated and often transparently mirror the site being targeted, allowing the attacker to observe everything while the victim navigates the site, and transverses any additional security boundaries with the victim."  -- Wikipedia

You've probably heard of phishing. If you check your email's spam folder, you'll probably find more than one phishing message . Some general tips to be aware of:

• College students are particular targets for "research opportunity" or "research assistant"-type scams, typically purporting to be from a professor. The best defense is to contact the faculty member directly about purported opportunities.
• It's a cliche, but it's completely on point: If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
• Beware of anyone asking you to buy gift cards! No reputable individual or organization will do this.
• Keep your private information private. Don't share your location, address, phone number, etc. on your socials (yes, even in DMs). Set your social apps to never include location data in photos, too.
• Suspicious message? Contact the claimed sender directly to confirm (either in person or using a known-good contact methods...never click a link or call a number in a sus message.

General Cybersecurity

Some general tips for online safety:

• Always use two-factor authentication, or 2FA, when available (SMS/text codes, authentication code apps, biometrics, or passkeys). This provides an additional, relatively painless layer of security.
• Use passwords (or better yet, passphrases) that are both strong and unique to each site -- never reuse passwords!
• Put a passcode on any device that allows it, especially easily-misplaced things like watches and phones. The old 4-digit codes are no longer sufficient. Where possible, codes should be a minimum of 6 characters, and the longer the better.
• Don't do anything involving money, including shopping and banking, while using public Wi-Fi (any Wi-Fi network that isn't owned by you, or a friend/family member. This includes both unsecured (password-free) networks and ones at places like coffee shops with a readily-available password.
• Try to only use your Davidson email account for things related to school. Use a personal, non-Davidson address for shopping, making service accounts, and similar. This cuts down on risks to our system security.

As always, if you have questions or concerns about any of the information in this book, please contact ti@davidson.edu.