October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Here’s a 15-minute checkup for your home or business

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, an annual campaign that has been running since 2004. This year, agencies like the SBA, the FTC and NIST have been holding sessions on scams and fraud for small businesses. You don’t need a seminar to get safer, though. Set a timer for 15 minutes and work through this list.

1. Turn on multi-factor authentication (5 minutes)

Multi-factor authentication, or MFA, means a stolen password alone isn’t enough to get into your account. Turn it on for, at a minimum:

• Your email (it’s the key to resetting everything else)
• Your bank and payment accounts
• Your Microsoft, Google or Apple account

An authenticator app or a passkey is stronger than a text message code, but any MFA beats none.

2. Fix your weakest passwords (3 minutes)

Use a password manager so every account gets its own long, random password. Start with the accounts above. If you reuse one password everywhere, one leak opens every door.

3. Update everything (3 minutes)

Check for updates on your computer, phone and browser, and turn on automatic updates. Still on Windows 10? You can get an extra year of free security updates. And don’t forget your router; here’s a quick router checkup.

4. Check your backups (2 minutes)

Make sure your important files are backed up somewhere other than the computer they live on, and that at least one copy isn’t always connected. Then try restoring one file. If it works, you’re in good shape. Ransomware is getting nastier, as this report shows.

5. Agree on a “slow down” rule (2 minutes)

Most scams work by rushing you. Agree with your family or team that any urgent request for money, codes or passwords gets verified by calling back on a known number, no matter how real the voice sounds. Here’s how AI voice-clone scams work.

Done? Go one step further

• Put guests and smart devices on a separate Wi-Fi network.
• Remove apps and browser extensions you no longer use.
• Write down who to call if something goes wrong, and keep it somewhere other than your computer.

Small steps, done consistently, stop the vast majority of everyday attacks. Fifteen minutes this month can save a very bad day later.

Need a hand with this at home or at work? HD Technologies sets up, secures and supports Wi-Fi, computers and networks for homes and small businesses. Email us at [email protected].

Sources: Nextgov/FCW, CISA Secure Our World.