Data Privacy Week

Am I paranoid about data privacy? Yes, and you should be too !

It’s Data Privacy Week, and I’m wondering:?How safe do you really feel online? Dans quelle mesure êtes-vous confortable avec votre présence en ligne?

Over the holiday break, I did something that was both eye opening and, surprisingly, a bit uncomfortable. My partner and I decided to review the privacy settings of our online accounts together (well... I write 'we', but maybe I nudged my partner a little bit in participating in the exercise ??). What I thought would be a straightforward task turned into a not-so-easy conversation. We had very different tolerance levels for online privacy. With my work in cybersecurity, I leaned towards more privacy and limiting my connections to maximize security. My partner on the other hand, prefers an open profile to reconnect with friends old and new. This led to a great discussion about online visibility, how we use social media differently, and the associated risks. We agreed that while being open can be beneficial, it also makes us more vulnerable to malicious acts.

Was I being too paranoid?

The truth is that threats are closer than you think—especially on campus. I’ve heard firsthand accounts of our community being compromised through their social networks. Professors and staff are impersonated to ask for money. Grandparents tricked into sending funds to their student grandchildren for fake emergencies. Stolen devices are reported frequently. Not to mention the common phishing attempts and hacking incidents being blocked and monitored by our IT security team.?

It’s not just the internet that’s the threat. It’s YOUR NETWORK—the people you know, and the information they know and share about you. You might think it’s harmless, but just as it’s my job to worry about security, for some bad actors it’s their full-time job to hunt for your data.

Whether it's a casual LinkedIn post or an old email account, every bit of online information can be used to impersonate you or scam your friends and family. The more you share online, the easier it is for someone to exploit it on our family, friends and work colleagues (less tech-savvy family member, or busy colleague overwhelmed with requests, etc).

?You can’t afford to ignore this threat

Few years ago, I would have thought this line of thinking is extreme or attempts at being sensational. But fast forward to today, after hearing about so many real scams, threats and data breaches, I’m telling you: ??? WE NEED TO BE MORE CAUTIOUS, NOT LESS.

Few advices I've been constantly repeating for few years now:

• Start by deleting old accounts you don’t use. Less accounts = easier to spot suspicious activity.
• Secure your online presence with multi-factor authentication and strong passwords.
• Limit what you share on social media and save on online accounts.

Help protect others

Your online presence can affect everyone in your network.?If you get an expected transfer to deposit money, or notifications about a social media account you haven’t used in months or years, or if a friend of a friend’s friend says that were told to reach out to you about something–be paranoid, be suspicious.

Talk to friends, family, and classmates when you encounter these types of online activity. Not only does this help keep others safe, it’s an opportunity to talk about how posting and connecting to others can be a vulnerability. I’m not necessarily telling you to stop sharing online, but to pay close attention to what and who you are sharing with.

So… Are you as paranoid as I am? The threats are real and closer than you think. Dedicate some time to take control of your privacy before someone else does.

#DataPrivacy #CyberSecurity #CampusSecurity #PrivacyMatters

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