Cyber Security Tips for Students: Protecting Yourself in the Digital Age

In today's interconnected world, cybersecurity is no longer just a concern for IT professionals. It's a crucial skill for everyone, especially students who spend a significant amount of time online. Every 39 seconds, a cyber attack occurs somewhere on the World Wide Web, making it essential to be proactive about protecting your digital life. College students can be prime targets for cybercriminals. Criminals don’t care if you're just trying to get through freshman year or you’re writing your thesis or if you have a major case of senioritis. Hackers know this. So, now that you know why you may be a target for cybercriminals, let’s talk about what you can do to protect yourself. This article provides a comprehensive guide to cyber security for students, covering everything from password management to safe browsing habits.

Understanding the Risks

It's a sad reality that everyone who uses a computer or mobile device is a potential target. College is a time to explore, try new things…and you might overshare a little (or a lot) online. But what you post now could follow you long after graduation.

Social Media Oversharing

It's tempting to post photos of yourself posing in front of your school or beneath a funny street sign, but avoid doing so on social media. Check-ins are another bad idea. These actions make others aware of your exact location at any given time. And if your social media accounts are public, anyone could be watching. Sharing too much information, such as indicating when you are on vacation or away from home, can make you an easy target for #burglary.

Public Wi-Fi Vulnerabilities

Part of college life is seemingly always being on the move. And public Wi-Fi or hotspots make it so easy to connect along the way. Public WiFi seems convenient, but it leaves you vulnerable to MitM, or Man-in-the-Middle, attacks. There's also the chance you could accidentally log on to a malicious hotspot. Malicious hotspots mimic real-life businesses. Never use public Wi-Fi to access or enter sensitive information, such as online banking or any site where you need to log in. Avoid using public Wi-Fi and hotspots for sensitive materials such as online banking and shopping.

Essential Cyber Security Practices

Strong and Unique Passwords

Use a strong, unique password for every account: You’ve probably heard this advice before, but it’s really important. We get it. Remembering a dozen passwords is annoying. But reusing the same one for your school account, Netflix, and your bank app? That’s an open invitation to cybercriminals. Because if you rely on the same password for every account, a hacker can gain access to all of your accounts by deciphering the password for one of them. Create different passwords for different sites and use a combination of letters, numbers and symbols to make them hard to guess. Today, each password needs to be at least 16 characters long, a random mix of characters, and unique to the account. How the heck do you remember all these long, strong passwords? A password manager is the best option. Don’t make passwords obvious with info like your birthday, pet’s name, or “1234.” Passwords that are 16 characters or longer take billions of years for hackers to crack!

Password Managers

If it seems overwhelming to have a complex password for every account on top of everything else you need to remember at school, why not use a password manager? We all have too many passwords to manage - and it's easy to take short-cuts, like reusing the same password. A password manager can help you to maintain strong unique passwords for all of your accounts. These programs can generate strong passwords for you, enter credentials automatically, and remind you to update your passwords periodically. Consider using a password manager, such as LastPass, to remember and store all your passwords for you. This application will securely store all your passwords, and even create unique, hard-to-guess passwords for you. Learn more about password managers here.

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

Turn on multifactor authentication (MFA). Multifactor authentication (sometimes called two-factor authentication, 2FA, or two-step authentication) adds an extra layer of security, like a door bolt for your accounts. If a site or app offers you the ability to set up 2-factor authentication when signing in, do it. When MFA is on, you’ll log in with your password and a second step, like logging into a special app on your phone. In this way, someone pretending to be you and who has your password, still can't access your account.

Software Updates

Keep your devices updated. Clicking “Remind me later” on software updates is a reflex for a lot of us. Installing software updates for your operating system and programs is critical. But those updates often fix serious security flaws. The longer you wait, the more vulnerable your laptop or phone becomes. Set up automatic updates so you get the latest security patches. Make sure you keep the operating systems, browsers and applications up to date for all your devices. Set up automatic updates for your computer and mobile devices and regularly restart them to give them a chance to complete the update process. Regularly shut down and restart your laptops, phones, and tablets - once a week is good.

Data Backups

Back up your data. Imagine losing your laptop the night before finals, which means you also lose all your class notes, papers, and that group project no one else worked on. Many college students have dealt with losing critical documents, and the only way to protect yourself is to back it up. At college, you’re going to have more important stuff on your computer than you’ve ever had in your life. So, back up that information regularly to an external hard drive or the cloud to protect against online threats, as well as more mundane things like file corruption and spilled coffee. Whether it’s due to theft, a spill, ransomware, or your hard drive breaking, data loss happens. Backing up your files ensures you won’t lose everything if disaster strikes. Make sure you are also backing up your files in case something happens in the process. Periodically back up your data to avoid data loss. Use cloud services like Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, or Apple iCloud - there's probably a cloud service already installed on your laptop you can use. Keep a physical backup like an external hard drive for extra peace of mind. Once every semester, double-check that your backups are actually working and, you know, backing up your stuff. There's also the need to protect your work. Online students and remote workers, especially, should perform routine backups to preserve important documents in the event of a computer crash.

Device Security

Lock your laptop and phone. This one’s simple, but essential. It may seem like a hassle. But locking your computer or phone when you’re away from it-even for a minute or two-while you’re in public is a smart way to protect yourself. This includes when you’re in seemingly safe places, such as the library. Mobile phones, iPads, laptops, and tablets should all be locked with strong passwords. Otherwise, you run the risk of someone else picking them up and accessing important information. Digital security pertains to all your mobile devices just as it does to your home computer. Due to the small size of mobile devices, an important component of mobile security is making sure that devices are physically secured.

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Webcam Covers

Cover your webcam: Yes, that same webcam you use to visit with friends, family and peers can be exploited by hackers to spy on your activities, as well as capture personal data about you. And it’s possible to do this even when the webcam indicator light is off. So, when you’re not using your webcam, place a webcam cover over it.

Safe Browsing Habits

When you see the added 'S' on the end, it stands for 'secure.' This means the site features encryption to prevent eavesdroppers from reading what's being sent because the information has been encoded.

VPNs for Public Wi-Fi

If you must use public WiFi, consider using a VPN, such as Cyberghost. A better idea for accessing the internet outside your dorm? Create a personal hotspot with your phone or use a Virtual Private Network (VPN). VPN is an acronym for Virtual Private Network. Essentially, it creates a sort of encrypted tunnel for data to travel through as it passes from your device to the server and back. It also shields your IP address to prevent hackers from virtually following you home.

Logging Out

This one may sound too easy, but no list of cybersecurity tips would be complete without it: Never stay logged in on public networks. Even at home, it's a good idea to log out when you're done. This helps prevent back-door attacks on your computer. Never leave a campus computer without logging off.

Anti-Malware Scans

Ideally, your system will do this for you. Still, it's good to run routine scans after visiting a site you find to be a little sketchy. This can help you detect signs of adware. Adware, or spyware, essentially tracks your online activities. Many brands do this to help target you for offers.

Firewalls

Ideally, you'll have a firewall installed on your computer that prevents this occurrence. Still, if you feel the need to override your firewall, be very careful. Downloading unknown files could infect your computer with a malicious virus. Today's viruses often do more than just ruin your computer.

Avoiding Phishing Scams

Messages asking for your login information, no matter how legitimate they may look. The best way to avoid scams is to approach all unexpected messages, offers, and phone calls with healthy skepticism. Always think twice before clicking on links or opening attachments, even if they look like they're from someone you know. But they often contain misspelled words or awkward phrasing. Don't give out your personal information. Usually, when these schemes begin online, they come with promises of big payouts. If you send $100, they'll guarantee you a return of $100,000. Usually, they'll ask for information such as your bank account and routing numbers, so they can deposit your cash more quickly.

Physical Security

Be careful where you leave things such as your purse, your jacket, your briefcase, or your bookbag, especially if your phone or tablet are inside. Always be alert! What you do online has the potential to affect everyone-at home, at school and around the world.

Default Passwords

It's disconcerting to know large numbers of people still use the factory-set passwords that come with their devices. 'Admin' is a biggie. Don't use 'default,' 'password,' or 'root' either.

Additional Security Measures

Digital Footprint Management

Clean up your digital footprint. College is a time to explore, try new things…and you might overshare a little (or a lot) online. But what you post now could follow you long after graduation. You don’t have to go full digital hermit, but share with care. Review your privacy settings on social media. Change it to an audience that makes you comfortable. Google yourself and see what comes up. Remove old accounts you no longer use.

Mobile Device Security

Use software such as “Find My iPhone” for iPhone and “Find My Device” for Android. Only download software, music, movies, and documents from trusted sources.

AI Usage

Be intelligent about AI use. Generative artificial intelligence (AI) programs like ChatGPT are changing the nature of education. And, if we're being honest, we're all probably using it a bit too much, even professors! While different universities, departments, and faculty have differing approaches to AI, always check the guidelines. You are at college to learn critical thinking - if you let the computer think for you, you're robbing yourself. Ask your professors what they're AI policies are. If permitted, use AI for outlining and brainstorming help, but don't copy/paste your papers from ChatGPT or Grok - writing papers is a skill, and, annoying as it may be, you should focus on learning these skills through practice! Don't share sensitive data with AI because the platforms might use it for their training data and share it with someone else. Treat AI programs like social media - share with care!

Seeking Help and Resources

Know where to get help. Most colleges have IT support services or a help desk. In life, you might not always have access to a computer expert, so take advantage! If you think you’ve been hacked, clicked on a shady link, or feel unsure, don’t be embarrassed. Ask for help. You can often get computer or other technology help from your school's IT department. Even if you get a "Blue Screen of Death," they can help you more than random Google searches can. You can report phishing or other suspicious online activity - and your school's cybersecurity team will be happy you did. If you are having problems or are confused by academic software, ask for help! Your school's IT department wants to help you. Your actions online can impact the safety and security of you, your friends, your family and the entire FSU community. Be aware of Protected Data that you come into contact with and its associated restrictions. Review the UCB Data Classification Standard for examples of types of data in each classification level. Only install these programs from a known and trusted source.

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