Friday, 6 September, 2017
Cybercrime is estimated to cost Australians more than $1 billion per year and, with about 87% of the population accessing the internet daily, online security is an increasingly critical issue.
Although the internet has opened a world of new opportunities — we can shop, bank, research, work and connect with one another — criminals also lurk online. These are people who look for opportunities to steal money, information and identities.
Stay Smart Online Week, October 9 to 13, is a national awareness initiative that puts online security in the spotlight to remind us all to set aside some time to focus on the important but easy steps people can take to stay safe online.
This year’s Stay Smart Online Week is all about simple steps to online safety, with a focus on five key areas: privacy of personal information, strong passwords, software updates, backing up important information and avoiding online scams.
Thankfully, there are some easy things people can all do to significantly improve how they protect their personal and financial information online, and recover if things go wrong. Even small actions can improve a person’s online security.
Simple steps include:
- Be careful about how much personal information you share online
- Create strong passwords and passphrases that are hard for others to guess
- Keep computers, phones and tablets updated with the latest software
- Regularly back up data
- Look out for suspicious emails or messages, and think before clicking on links or opening attachments
For more easy to follow tips, or to find out more about Stay Smart Online Week, visit www.staysmartonline.gov.au or follow Stay Smart Online on Facebook.
You can also use these resources for further information:
Scamwatch
ATO verify or report a scam