Internet Hygiene 101

This discussion is meant to present a high level overview of methods we recommend to safely use your new tablet or phone. The intent is NOT to describe these techniques in detail, but simply to discuss how they contribute to being safe on the internet. Again, our goal is to expose you to security concepts and open discussions or questions about these topics.

Your tablets are configured to provide a safe environment to learn how to use them and to begin exploring ways to incorporate them into your life. As you learn more about your tablet and it’s abilities, you will likely want to move beyond the environment we have set up and these concepts will be very relevant.

Historically castles implemented multiple levels of security: moats with multiple high walls and open areas to expose invaders and a tower to provide high ground in a battle. Many castles also had secret exits, if all else failed. The goal was to have multiple levels of security to increase the likelihood of a successfully repelling an attack.

These configurations implement a strategy called ring security. Historically, this strategy was used by kings and is still used by many militaries. In our case, the rings consist of keeping your device secure, keeping your data secure; and a plan if all else fails.

We have picked one or two topics in each security level, identified by a check mark, which should provide a good foundation for understanding the concepts. Additional details on these topics are available in our online training material if you want to delve deeper.

Device Security is our first layer of defense. You are likely aware of the importance of passwords. We often find that new users aren’t familiar with best practices in two critical areas: creating/managing passwords and why software updates are important.

Scammers are getting more sophisticated every day so understanding how to detect and avoid scams is increasingly important in today’s world. Data Hygiene is a crucial component for online presence today. This not only applies to being online, but in the world today. Stolen data is the primary tool for fraudsters.

Finally, backing up your tablet can prepare you if all else fails and something bad happens.

Your tables have been configured to not require passwords to keep things simple. As you expand beyond our configured environment passwords will become necessary.

Strong passwords are the foundation of your online security! Understand that passwords can be stolen or guessed – even more so with AI. A security study done by Verizon found that 81% of hacking related breaches used either stolen and/or weak passwords! Don’t make it easy for someone to guess or steal your password!

A manual password management strategy can be sufficient for a dozen or so passwords. If you have more passwords, a couple of simple ideas are:
* Use a dedicated notebook for your passwords
* Use note cards with holes punched in them to keep passwords together
Be sure to keep them in a safe place. Be careful not to lose them if traveling!

As you do more and more with your tablet, password managers can help you generate and store passwords as well as to automatically fill in passwords when prompted.
Links for Seniors has some additional details on passwords and password vaults in your Links for Seniors app.

Staying Informed
Technology moves fast, staying informed can help you keep up to date with the latest fraud exposures. The AARP fraud watch website is an excellent resource, AARP has made this available to everyone because of the widespread occurrence of fraud today. We encourage you to familiarize yourself with this resource. Links for Seniors can also be useful to learn more about your tablet and how to protect it.

Ask for help!! Consult with others in your class, your site contacts, the AARP Fraud Network, and Links for Seniors

Being Cautious
Clicking on a link can be risky if you don’t know what is on the other side, but you can protect yourself. Be sure you know who sent the link. Check where the link is sending you BEFORE clicking on it. We’ll look deeper at these two topics in minute.

Microsoft, IRS, Social Security, Medicare won’t call about problems
Examples of scams: Microsoft support, you won something (AAA & State Farm examples), a problem with your account, a relative is in trouble.

Monitor your Accounts
Many banking, payment and other apps allow you to set up alerts like unknown device logins, password changes, withdrawals, deposits, etc. Be alert check your accounts often.

If you want to check to see if your email/login credentials have been part of a breach, HAVE I BEEN PWNED is a frequently used website where you can check (https://haveibeenpwnd.com)

Limit Personal Information Sharing
Be very cautious if an email, text or website asks you for personal information. There is a lot of information about you on the internet, even if you are very careful avoid making it easy for fraudsters.

Caller ID can help identify unknown callers, but bad actors can make the caller ID look like its someone you know. You may have heard about fraudulent ads during the election in which candidates gave false information. With AI, voices can be made to sound like a person you know. They can even even generate a video of a person speaking from a script they wrote, making it look like the person is actually saying what is on the script.

Avoid saying “Yes” on the phone unless you are sure who you are talking to. Your voice can be recorded and manipulated as in the political scams mentioned earlier. It is often recommended that you not answer an unknown caller to avoid these scams. It is easy to call someone back if they leave a message. If they don’t leave a message or you don’t recognize the number, it’s probably better to ignore the call.

If someone calls you and begins to pressure you to act quickly, don’t take the bait. Get the name of the company, end the call and lookup the phone number of that company online. Call the number from your online search and ask about the issue.

Watch out for phishing!!
Verify where the information came from – if you don’t recognize the source, don’t take any action. Note that scammers with often make very slight changes in email addresses, links and logos so be watchful. You can click on the down arrow next to the sender line to see the actual email address the message was sent from. If it looks suspicious use extra caution

Verify where a link is sending you before clicking on it – hold 2 fingers on the link or use copy link to see where the address where take you. ALWAYS look for the “https:” prefix on a web address, especially if there is financial or personal information involved

On the map of the Hennepin County Area is the number of scams that have been reported in the last year. There were 108 fraud cases reported, the numbers in red are the number in each location! If you think something is not quite right STOP and either do your own research on it or ask for help – the AARP Fraud Watch Network is an excellent place to get help their number is 877-908-3360. Remember you are not alone, many people have been affected by fraud.

Anti-Virus Software
Your tablet is secure as long as you only install apps or services from the Amazon App Store. Any new app needs to ask for permission to use any hardware resources (i.e. the camera or microphone). The way the tablets are delivered to you, you don’t need Anti-Virus software, the Amazon app store and the apps installed on the tablets are all safe.

If you re-register your tablet or move outside the Amazon environment, this changes things. Additional information is in Links for Seniors content.

Keep Software and Devices Updated
Software updates come out frequently so applying software is important to remain safe. Security flaws discovered are normally patched by software updates.

Your tablet has been configured with automatic updates enabled for FireOS and some of the applications. Again, your tablet is secure in the Amazon environment as delivered to you.

Secure your device
As delivered, your tablet is set up to NOT require a passcode to use it. You may want to set a passcode to prevent others from using your tablet if you live in a shared environment since your sensitive information may be stored in your Amazon account settings. Setting up a passcode is easy – if you do, remember to keep it safe (and easily accessed).

Backups
Remember Murphy’s Laws:

• Any that could go wrong Will go wrong (eventually)
• It will go wrong at the worst possible moment

Your device is also configured to automatically back up to the Amazon cloud

Summary
We strove to provide a tablet configured to work in a secured environment while you are learning to use it. You can be confident that the devices are reasonably secure as delivered. We hope this discussion helps you understand that you can use your tablet safely and what a ring security strategy is. Please discuss any tablet changes with us to assure your tablet remains secure.