October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month

With October being Cybersecurity Awareness Month, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) is trying to help Albertans stay safe when it comes to online scams.

Mary O’Sullivan-Andersen, President and CEO of BBB of Southern Alberta and East Kootenay stated with the amount of time we all spend on our devices both at work and for the functioning of our day-to-day lives everyone must learn and practice good cybersecurity habits.

“Scammers and hackers impact individuals and businesses, large and small costing Canadians millions of dollars in losses every year.”

Here are some tips the BBB is providing to help keep you and your online profile safe:

Protect your device - Download and maintain up-to-date security software to prevent malware from infecting your device. Along with computers, other web-enabled devices, such as smartphones and gaming systems, also need protection from viruses and malware. Make sure to use security software to scan for viruses on any external device, such as a USB flash drive, before downloading data to your hard drive.
Browser privacy - Many websites use files called cookies to personalize user experiences and provide targeted ads. Website browsers, such as Chrome, Safari, Firefox and Microsoft Edge, allow users to adjust their privacy settings and delete or manage cookies.
Smartphone privacy - Most mobile devices allow users to control whether they receive targeted ads based on app usage and browsing activity. Settings include resetting advertising identifiers, tracking control, location control and ad personalization.
Exercise good cybersecurity habits - Be cautious when interacting with links received through email or social media and make it a habit to check for the ‘lock’ icon in a website address that indicates it is a secured system before making an online purchase. Protect your most vital accounts by enabling the strongest authentication tools available, such as biometrics, security keys or a unique one-time code through an app on your mobile device

"Regularly update apps, use two-factor authentication when possible, avoid clicking on unknown links and consider signing up for cybersecurity education from a reputable business or institution to learn further ways to protect yourself and your business,” added O’Sullivan-Andersen

In response to Canada's Online News Act and Meta (Facebook and Instagram) removing access to local news from their platforms, DiscoverAirdrie encourages you to get your news directly from your trusted source by bookmarking this page and downloading the DiscoverAirdrie app. Scan the QR code to download the app.