By Robert Ambrose

Our digital era has spawned immediate results – email (not postcards), e-billing (not “check in the mail”) and instacart. But, unfortunately, the information age’s unintended byproduct is the harvest for thieves. Since computing involves long strings of 0s and 1s (i.e., binary code) can we infer that your financial well-being, your dating life and your so-called identity (e.g., SSN) is hanging by a cyber thread?

The top way online thieves exploit the technology and their anonymity is called phishing. For example, if you receive an email asking you for your bank password…under the guise that your bank account is under attack… the email already told you its from the bank…the email requires that you to quickly divulge confidential password data in your reply… or click a link and release your data…then it’s fake. That was a phishing expedition that you did not fall for because you read this Red Cross blog. (We take care of you with more than just natural disasters.)

Many organizations have an email address to forward questionable emails. PayPal will scan the email in question and advise you on its veracity. In fact, you must not even open a suspicious email because of – in some cases – potential virus deployment. Instead, email to your organization the questionable email as an attachment. (Check YouTube if you need advice how to attach.)

But what else can you do to prevent your data and money from slipping into digital black hole? Several things are simple. First, use strong passwords with everything in it: upper case and lower case letters, numbers and symbols. Second, after entering the password, activate multifactor authentication – having the organization text/call you to issue a random six-digit code that you input once to enter your online account. Since thieves do not have your phone in their hands, multifactor authentication is formidable defense. Next, update your software; updates are security patches to fortify your online protection.

Cybersecurity seized the headlines through the last decade. Home Depot, Target and even the U.S. federal government were all hacked. The credit bureau people, Equifax, also suffered a breach. Considering the breadth of the U.S. population that was affected and the money involved, cybersecurity is rightfully a long-running focus. Back in 2004, U.S. Congress and the President declared October as Cybersecurity Awareness Month.

To learn more, visit the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency website.