Cyber Security Awareness
A few simple actions can add another layer of security and help prevent the worst-case scenarios, such as identity theft, financial fraud, and even ransomware attacks.
Personal Defenses:
Consider what personal information is shared and posted on social/business networking sites. Check the privacy settings on social media accounts that identify information sharing with third parties and make sure they are set to the privacy level you need to protect your information.
Think before you click. Over 90% of phishing attacks occur via email. Identify the red flags: unexpected call, email or text, sense of urgency, asks you to click on a link provided, urges confidentiality, requests sensitive information, or monetary requests. If you received something like this, do not act until you are able to verify its authenticity with the appropriate party.
Freeze your credit. This will prevent anyone from pulling your credit and make it more difficult for identity thieves to opens loans or accounts in your name. Freezing your credit is free and you must contact each of the credit agencies individually.
Get your annual free credit reports from each of the three major Credit Bureaus to make sure your personal data is up to date, then look for inaccuracies in entries about loans and credit cards.
Digital Defenses:
Set up alerts for your online banking and sign up for two-factor or multi-factor authentication (2FA or MFA).
Change any repeated passwords. It’s important that you have a different password for separate logins. You should change your passwords every time you hear of a hack or data breach. Start with changing your online banking, credit card, email and computer passwords first. Then work your way through the rest.
Consider using a password manager. These programs generate strong, unique passwords that fill them in when you log into a site and store them in a heavily encrypted password list.
Update the software on all your devices and make sure your computer backups are up to date.
Secure your home network by changing the default password on your router, then do it for the rest of your devices. Turn on the firewall in your router and laptop.
When in doubt, reach out:
Contact Cornerstone at (888) 777-6728 if you think you may be a victim of fraud related to your Cornerstone credit or debit card, or if your card has been lost or stolen.
If you receive a suspicious email, text, or call claiming to be Cornerstone, contact us immediately at (888) 777-6728.
Stay vigilant and keep a look out for these types of scams.
