College has changed since many of us were students. Years ago, we’d shuffle from class to class, holding a single notebook and a pencil for scribbling down notes. The risk was minimal for most when it came to photos or data being stolen online. That is no longer the case. Now students have at least one – usually two or three – devices readily available. The challenging part is, most college-age students think of themselves as tech-savvy “digital natives”; however, a study by Atlas VPN showed that Gen-Zers and millennials are more likely to fall for phishing scams, compared to other age groups. It is critical, now more than ever, that we prepare our students to be safe when they are at college.
In fact, 20% of Gen-Zers have had their identity stolen at least once, according to the National Cybersecurity Alliance.
Here are a few of the frightening ways cybercriminals are targeting college-aged kids:
- Unpaid tuition notifications. Scammers will send fake e-mails to students claiming they owe a certain amount of money, or it will affect their enrollment.
- Fake financial aid, grant, or scholarship websites that will steal information or install malware on computers.
- Fake Wi-Fi accounts in public places which hackers will use to steal passwords and private data whenever a device connects to it.
- Social media scams that gather private information. A scammer will either hack into existing accounts or set up new ones.
You may be wondering, how can a generation that was raised on technology fall for these scams? Below may be a few reasons why:
- Most students are not properly educated on cyberthreats, since they’ve likely always worked on computers that were already secured by the school or their parents.
- They grew up using social media and feel comfortable sharing private information about themselves. What they may not realize is these criminals will sit silently and wait patiently, collecting data and information which they will then use in a later attack.
- This is a big one – they have no or very little credit, giving scammers an easy path to opening accounts in their name.
- They have multiple connected devices like phones, laptops, tablets and watches that give criminals more avenues to attack.
- College kids are understandably distracted. They’re focused on school and making friends, NOT cyber security. This makes it easy for a cybercriminal to slip in undetected.
What can you do?
While you can’t pack up and camp out at college with them to ensure they’re following cyber security best practices, you can make sure they know what to look for by giving them the tools and resources to stay as safe as possible.
Here are 14 actions your child can take to help prevent them from being a victim of cybercrime:
- Invest in strong, trusted virus and malware protection, and run scans weekly.
- Never click “Remind Me Tomorrow” when a phone or computer wants to update. Turn on automatic updates.
- Make sure all browsers, extensions, and operating systems are kept up to date.
- To avoid losing data in the event of a cyberattack, back up the computer to the cloud regularly.
- Never visit or enter credit card information on websites that are not secure. To determine whether a site is secure, look for a padlock symbol next to the site name and/or an ‘S’ in the URL, such as https://.
- Do not connect to public Wi-Fi. Instead, use a personal hotspot or VPN when on the go.
- Beware of email phishing scams. Do not click links or open attachments in e-mails, especially from unknown senders.
- Always use strong, unique passwords. A credible password manager can help create strong passwords, while providing a central place to store them.
- Regularly delete web browser cookies. These can create “loopholes” for hackers to get into a network.
- Only install software and apps from trusted sources.
- Set up multi-factor authentication (MFA).
- Lock all devices and do not share passwords with anyone.
- Cover all webcams when not in use – there are stickers for purchase online, but paper and tape will also work.
- Register student’s devices with the school in the event they are stolen.
It’s recommended to run through this list with your children. Cyber security takes a few minutes of conscious effort, but it is a critical lesson to learn when nearly everything we do involves technology. The risks of cybercrime will only continue to grow.
If your organization could benefit from cyber security training like this, but more in-depth for employees, start your FREE Discovery Call by clicking here. This is a no-obligation 15- minute phone call where we can discuss your concerns and assess areas you may be at risk. We have solutions that will help employees identify the threats, while understanding the risks and best practices. We also have robust cyber security solutions and 24-hour monitoring to protect the businesses we work with.
