While movies and TV would have you believe that cyber crimes are always committed by highly skilled geniuses, the truth is cyber criminals range in resources and knowledge from your neighbors kid with a USB drive and google instructions to well funded professionals employed by various governments. The good news, if you are reading this is that you are unlikely to be targeted by a government. The bad news is at this point in your life have almost certainly been targeted by other cyber criminals. I’ve had a lot of people joke they have nothing to lose so a cyber criminal has no reason to target them. Right now every person using the internet has complex algorithms trying to create profiles trying to sort them into various boxes so that their data can be sold to companies for targeted advertisements. Much like legal companies find ways to profit off of us through advertising, cyber criminals can make use of assets we have without our consent or knowledge. Although there is a common belief that anything digital is easily and readily compromised, the truth is that most victims of cyber attacks could have mitigated the attack before it happened.

It would be beneficial if you have never done so or haven’t done so recently to sit down with a pencil and paper and consider the following.

• Write down a list of all the hardware you have that connects to the web. Common devices are: desktop computers, laptops, phones, gaming devices, camera’s, modems, routers, and any ‘smart’ device. Leave a generous space to write between each device.
• Starting with your modem/router ask yourself, “who has access to this?” Do you know everyone you allow on your wifi? Do you trust everyone who has access to your wireless network? Even if someone isn’t targeting you, you are legally responsible for what happens on your wireless network. If someone is pirating content on your wireless network you maybe held accountable. Most modem/routers will have administrative tools. If you have never looked at these, take a moment to search for your devices manual and familiarize yourself. You can view the devices connected to your network, change the wireless password and often much more. If you can’t account for every device on your network, it maybe safer to change your wireless password and have a talk with your family, room mates, and anyone else who has access to your wireless password about why your wireless network isn’t for public use!
• Moving on from there, for any device that allows for multiple profiles or accounts, write down who has an account on each device or who has access to those accounts. Does anyone who has access to those devices have your trust? If you have children do you trust them to not possibly download malicious software on the computer you file your taxes on?
• What devices regularly leave the house? Put a star next to any that do. Ask yourself practical questions. If you bring your phone outside what is it connected to? Is it connected to your bank? your social media? What could be done with little to no effort if you lost your phone and someone with malicious intent found it.
• When you finish auditing the hardware in your home, it’s time to audit your own habits, operating systems, software. Does your password follow good conventions? Does it take more than a second to crack? Have no idea? I would encourage you to find out. If you are having trouble with passwords, don’t worry! There will be a post to help you manage, organize, and remember all the passwords you will ever need to!

Once this list is done, you will have created a checklist. You are highly encouraged to repeat this process as you learn about the threats you face in the digital world. In starting this process have already begun to think differently in more informed ways and to consider dangers you didn’t before. As you become more educated you will see things even more differently than you do now!