Digital Security for Kids- Part 2

 We store all kinds of personal and other critical information on our devices. For example, home computers, laptops, and mobile devices contain family and private photos and documents, potentially personal documents, educational records, and banking and financial information. Therefore, it is crucial to secure the devices to protect them from harmful software, virus, malware, and other threats. 

Many laptops and mobile device manufacturers provide several security features for these devices. The followings are the top ten easy-to-do settings to secure your kids and other home devices.

1. Enable authentication on mobile and laptop devices - I know it is an extra step to access your devices, but it provides essential & minimum protection. You can easily enable password or PIN authentication on all types of mobile and laptops.
2. Secure your accounts & login details - Don't share your password or other account details with anyone. If required, set up a separate account for kids and family members. Please don't write your login details (I know you know this already, right?).
3. Choose a complex password with numbers, letters, and symbols. You can use a password manager or browser inbuilt password manager (I will write a separate detailed article on Password protection and managers options)
4. Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) for the account, applications, and devices to contain sensitive data and documents. For example, you can easily enable MFA for Google mail/Gmail or Microsoft email accounts. In addition, Microsoft provides a passwordless login option. 
5. Use a good antivirus, anti-malware, and firewall protection software. Windows devices/Operating systems include inbuilt Defender Antivirus and firewall protection. Or you can install any other good antivirus software. Make sure to enable real-time protection and weekly/monthly scans.
6. Keep your laptop and mobile device operating systems and applications up to date.
7. Do not use open unknown public WIFI networks, especially for banking and shopping.
8. Be careful of suspicious emails and attachments. Never enter personal or credit card information into unknown websites.
9. Nowadays, all modern devices provide inbuilt encryption mechanisms to secure and encrypt data. You can enable this when you buy/first set up your device. If you didn't, you could do it now.
10. Adjust the privacy settings of the device per your needs. You may not want to share your personal, device, or usage information with the device manufacturer or application provider. Many of these settings could be enabled by default in the name of performance improvement or better experience. 

Stay tuned for more articles in this Digital Security for kids series.