Ten Online Security Mistakes Seniors Make
Seniors, in general, are trusting souls and don’t understand the dangers online. There are so many cyber thieves online searching and lurking, waiting for their next trusting victim to make a mistake. Each day at least 1 million cyber-attacks are executed, and the number is growing. It’s our job to keep our seniors informed and protected from all dangers, including the internet.
Here are 10 tips on how to explain to seniors they are vulnerable to cyber thieves.
1. Seniors generally think they don’t have any information the cyber thieves are interested in and don’t pay that much attention to the much-needed extra security precautions.
To change their mind, sit down with them and ask them these …show more content…
Seniors happily click on links, download attachments and give away their personal information to anyone that offers them a chance to win some prize.
Explain to them to second guess any email they receive before opening it, replying or clicking on any link or attachment. Explain to them not to click on any links from their bank or any other organization. They should log in directly to the website and get the information directly.
5. They don’t know how to set up their privacy settings on social networks.
Privacy settings are imperative to set up correctly on social networks. Show them how to set up their privacy settings and explain if they leave their privacy settings to public, anyone can see everything that is posted on their account, leaving them wide open to cyber thieves.
6. They share too much information on Social Media.
Seniors love to post photos of their family, their homes, photos from their vacations, etc. They aren’t aware that the internet can be dangerous if proper precautions aren’t taken. It is full of terrorists along with groups where pedophiles are sharing photos trying to locate children that are easy …show more content…
Seniors don’t understand they need more than just an Anti-virus software to protect their devices.
Anti-virus software alone isn’t enough to keep technology devices safe from all the dangers lurking on the web. They also need a good Malware software and internet security software to protect their information.
10. They don’t understand how easy malware and cyber-attacks can infect their computers.
Seniors don’t understand how sophisticated and frequent cyber-attacks happen. They don’t realize how easy it is to get malware. All it takes is clicking on an infected banner on a legit website, and they can get infected.
Let them know that even legit websites can be compromised. They don’t need to click or download anything for their PC to get infected with malware or Trojans. Malicious codes injected in ads will search for vulnerabilities in their system and exploit them.
Keeping ourselves and our Seniors safe online should always be a number one priority.
Karen
Seniors, in general, are trusting souls and don’t understand the dangers online. There are so many cyber thieves online searching and lurking, waiting for their next trusting victim to make a mistake. Each day at least 1 million cyber-attacks are executed, and the number is growing. It’s our job to keep our seniors informed and protected from all dangers, including the internet.
Here are 10 tips on how to explain to seniors they are vulnerable to cyber thieves.
1. Seniors generally think they don’t have any information the cyber thieves are interested in and don’t pay that much attention to the much-needed extra security precautions.
To change their mind, sit down with them and ask them these …show more content…
Seniors happily click on links, download attachments and give away their personal information to anyone that offers them a chance to win some prize.
Explain to them to second guess any email they receive before opening it, replying or clicking on any link or attachment. Explain to them not to click on any links from their bank or any other organization. They should log in directly to the website and get the information directly.
5. They don’t know how to set up their privacy settings on social networks.
Privacy settings are imperative to set up correctly on social networks. Show them how to set up their privacy settings and explain if they leave their privacy settings to public, anyone can see everything that is posted on their account, leaving them wide open to cyber thieves.
6. They share too much information on Social Media.
Seniors love to post photos of their family, their homes, photos from their vacations, etc. They aren’t aware that the internet can be dangerous if proper precautions aren’t taken. It is full of terrorists along with groups where pedophiles are sharing photos trying to locate children that are easy …show more content…
Seniors don’t understand they need more than just an Anti-virus software to protect their devices.
Anti-virus software alone isn’t enough to keep technology devices safe from all the dangers lurking on the web. They also need a good Malware software and internet security software to protect their information.
10. They don’t understand how easy malware and cyber-attacks can infect their computers.
Seniors don’t understand how sophisticated and frequent cyber-attacks happen. They don’t realize how easy it is to get malware. All it takes is clicking on an infected banner on a legit website, and they can get infected.
Let them know that even legit websites can be compromised. They don’t need to click or download anything for their PC to get infected with malware or Trojans. Malicious codes injected in ads will search for vulnerabilities in their system and exploit them.
Keeping ourselves and our Seniors safe online should always be a number one priority.
Karen