Even small steps help

More pro tips:

1. Take care to keep your email address private; share it only with those who need it. You might want to route non-essential senders to an email account that’s configured for spam.

2. Limit the inbound communications you sign up for, as a less cluttered inbox will make it easier to detect fragmented emails – which you should ignore, delete, and consider reporting to your email provider.

3. If you receive a suspicious and unsolicited email, don’t click “Unsubscribe,” as you could signal a bad actor that the email used to reply is valid and active, Anscombe explains.

4. Be careful what you share with traders. If you’re asked for your birthday to receive a gift or discount, pick a date at random, says Velasquez.

5. Never share an authentication code sent to you. It’s only for your use, but cyber crooks will make excuses to snatch it from you, she warns.

6. Use anti-virus security software and perform required security updates.

7. When you visit a website, look for the padlock next to the domain name displayed by your browser, says Budd. It’s like a website driver’s license. Click on the padlock to make sure the site is what it says it is. If, for example, you want to visit macys.com, don’t make a purchase if what’s behind the lock says something unusual, like [email protected]

8. When shopping online, consider paying as a guest and think twice before a vendor stores your payment information. Anscombe at ESET never lets a merchant store their credit card information. “I’m typing it – it’s a 16-digit number,” he says. “Don’t leave your data on the Internet, because that’s what you are doing. “

9. Seek help from a trusted person or entity if cybersecurity measures are a problem. And if doing everything seems overwhelming, Velasquez urges taking small steps, because “even if you make small changes, you make a difference.”