Act Now. Stay Secure. What are you risking online?
What are you risking online?
As technology rapidly advances and we spend more time online, Australians remain vulnerable to cyber attacks.
The Act Now. Stay Secure. campaign is educating Australians on the simple cyber safe actions that everyone can take to protect themselves online.
How to be secure online
Use a unique and strong passphrase on every account
Using a unique and strong passphrase for each of your online accounts is one of the most effective actions you can take to stay secure online.
A passphrase is a more secure password. It contains a sequence of random words. They are easier for you to remember but harder for cybercriminals to guess.
- To be strong and unique, make sure your passphrases:
- have four or more random words
- contain 15 or more charactersare different for every account
- do not include identifying information such as family names, birthdates or addresses
- include symbols, capital letters, or numbers, if required by the website or service.
Consider using a password manager for creating and storing your unique passphrases.
Install all software updates to keep your devices secure
Always installing software updates for all of your internet-connected devices (such as your phone, laptop or smart watch) is critical to keeping yourself secure online.
Software updates fix weaknesses or gaps in your devices’ security. Installing regular updates will
keep your devices secure and makes it harder for cybercriminals to access them.
Turn on automatic updates and be sure to install them when prompted.
Always set up multi-factor authentication
Turn on multi-factor authentication where available to add an extra layer of security to all of your
online accounts.
Multi-factor authentication requires two or more verification methods to log into your account.
For example, after entering your password or passphrase, you will be prompted to provide
a second verification such as entering a code sent to you via an authenticator app, email or text.
Multi-factor authentication protects your account even if one of your other authentication methods
(such as a passphrase) is compromised.
Want more ways to be secure online?
Looking for more ways to stay cyber secure? Here are some other actions you can take
to protect yourself online.
Be cautious when using public Wi-Fi
When using public Wi-Fi, do not access any sensitive or private information as the connection
is not secure. This includes your social media, email or online banking. Any information you enter could be accessed by cybercriminals.
Check and update your privacy and location settings regularly
It is important to check your privacy and location settings often to make sure you aren’t accidentally sharing personal or identifying information about yourself with the public.
Settings to check include the privacy settings on your social media accounts and geolocation tracking on your apps and devices.
Talk about how to be cyber secure with friends and family
Education and awareness are critical to keeping yourself, your family and friends secure online – particularly if you share internet-connected devices. Talking about it with your network keeps cyber safety top of mind and ensures they are receiving the latest information on how to protect themselves online.
Learn how to identify a scam
Scammers deceive people into paying money or providing their personal information.
Never give money or personal information to anyone if you are not certain who you are dealing with. Check by contacting the person or organisation using details you find yourself from an official website or app.
Report cyber attacks and incidents
Reporting scams or cyber incidents is critical to help the government to identify new trends,
alert the community and assist you to recover from the cyber incident.
