Being a college student is one of the most exciting times of a person's life. This is the time to explore, meet new friends and learn about things that you are truly passionate about. If for one reason or another you will need to transfer colleges, you will most probably experience some challenges. Apart from having to adjust to a new environment and new people, you are going to have to go through another round of filling out application forms both online and in paper. While this particular task is quite doable, there are dangers in terms of processing your information online. The personal information that you share on university portals and websites are extremely crucial. This is why you have to be extra careful when filling out forms using your laptop, smart phones or even the computer at the library.
Cyber security is one of the most important things that you need to understand and learn about. While technology and the internet has offered the world ease and convenience, it has also brought about a lot of dangers in terms of information theft. As a college transfer student here are some tips that would be useful for you to help prevent the risk of cyber security attacks and data loss:
Secure Your Devices
Nearly all students in a university now own a laptop where they accomplish almost 90% of their schoolwork and store almost all of their personal information. Be extra careful about where you leave your laptops. If you live in a dorm make sure to lock your room properly before leaving. For your laptop, give it extra protection from thieves by securing it with a cable lock tied around your bedpost. This is the only way to ensure nobody would ever be able to grab it and run away with it in just a matter of minutes.
Lock Your Device Operating System
You probably use your laptop for purchasing items from your favorite online shopping websites and to gain access to your favorite social networks. Do not leave these websites open for several hours without signing out. If you do not want to deal with the hassles of having to sign in and out of those websites, make sure to secure it by setting it to hibernation mode or by setting a lock screen.
Password Protect Your Devices
Password protecting your laptop is one of the easiest, most basic tip that you should follow to prevent information theft. As a college transfer student you are probably in the middle of filling out different secured websites in your new school so you will need to be extra careful. Do not just use any password, use a strong one that involves a combination of alpha-numerical characters. Also make sure to change your passwords every now and then to avoid unauthorized access to your information that might end up in the wrong hands.
Avoid Over-Sharing of Personal Information
Yes, you may now be in the process of finding new friends and becoming too comfortable with them. The thing is, you should not be too trusting with your personal information because it can come back to haunt you. Keep your student ID number, social security numbers, passwords, or any account information even to your closest friends.
Avoid Over-Sharing on Social Networking Sites
There are thousands of identity thieves lurking in their computers out there. You can take extra precaution by making sure that you set your privacy settings in such a way that only your friends and the people who matter to you can gain access to what you are sharing, especially your personal profile information.
Invest in a Reliable Anti-Virus Software
Protect your laptop from possible scams by using reliable anti-virus software. Also proceed with caution when you are downloading files off the internet. This is one of the biggest sources of computer viruses. This software may be quite costly but it is the best way for you to keep your laptop and all your personal information protected.
Avoid the pitfalls and the negative effects of this technology-driven world by having a good dose of common sense. Cyber security attacks are very much avoidable and now that you know all these tips you simply have to make it second nature to you.
About The Author
William Stevens is a writer who creates informative articles in relation to technology. In this article, he offers security tips to college students and aims to encourage further study with an Information Security Masters Degree.
