Now that school is back in session, many high schoolers have new phones, new computers, and new privileges for using their devices—and new responsibilities, too.
High schoolers today are more technology-savvy than average adults. While many people think that young people use their devices primarily for video games and social networking, the reality today is that high schoolers use technology for learning as much as for entertainment.
As the director for cybersecurity programs in the University at Albany’s School of Business, I regularly encounter high school students through the camps I run or as interns in my research lab. My first task is to describe the potential threats for them. I tell students that hackers and cybercriminals are constantly looking for vulnerable targets to attack and steal information from.
Teenagers must keep their devices and information secure, behave appropriately on social media and shared devices, and respect others’ digital privacy on devices and online.
Here are some ways they can protect their own—and their friends’—cybersecurity:
Password Safety
Passwords are the keys to your digital life. Make sure they are at least 10 characters long—including letters, numbers, and symbols to make them harder to crack.
Don’t write passwords down. Consider using a secure password manager. Also use two-factor authentication—either a physical security key or an app delivering time-based one-time passwords, like Authy or Google Authenticator.
Don’t share passwords with friends. It’s the same as giving them the keys to your house or your car—plus the power to see everything you’ve done and even impersonate you online. For the same reasons, don’t save usernames and passwords on shared computers, and always log out when you’re finished using someone else’s device.
Another key way to protect your data is to back it up regularly to an external hard drive or a cloud storage system.
