With so much of our time spent online, it has never been more important than ever to promote the safe use of technology, build digital skills and help all Australians have a safer, more positive experience online.

At Phriendly Phishing, we understand that not everyone has the experience with technology to know how to keep themselves safe online. We have put together a list of the top five practices you can do to protect yourself.

If you are one of the many people that now work remotely, knowing how to implement Information Security at home is vital. Implementing a second layer of protection such as a VPN or two-factor authentication will decrease the chance of someone interfering with your network:

1.    Virtual Private Network (VPN) A VPN allows you to work on a secure network by converting all your information into a code, making it difficult for hackers to access.

2.    Two-Factor Authentication Whenever possible, use two-factor authentication when you connect online. This requires two ways of proving your identity, adding another layer of security which can protect your accounts and data.

We all enjoy working from a café or a co-working space – free Wi-Fi, right?! Wrong. If you don’t know who set up the Wi-Fi or hotspot, we strongly suggest to that you don’t trust it. Cyber criminals are very advanced, and have the measures to access public Wi-Fi and hotspots, ultimately accessing your device and personal data:

3.    Public Wi-Fi & HotspotsPublic Wi-Fi and hotspots have limited security, making it easy for hackers to gain access to access any sensitive information you send, receive or access while on these networks.

The bare minimum you can implement to protect your software and accounts is to improve your passwords with ‘passphrases’..’ This small change will increase the difficulty level for hackers to guess what your password is:

4.    Passwords and Passphrases The password “Password” takes just 0.29 milliseconds to crack. Hackers use a range of tools to crack decrypt passwords in record times. Consider updating your passwords to passphrases; they are easy to remember and more difficult to hack.

We are social people, we like to being liked, but that doesn’t mean we should keep our social media accounts open for everyone to see. This can encourage unwanted attention and put yourself in a place of potential harm:

5.    Social Media Keep your social media settings on Private and be careful of what you post.

Everyone deserves the same respect, rights and opportunities when they are online. Together, we can all #PlayItFairOnline #SID2022. Sign up to support at esafety.gov.au/sid

If you want to learn more about our top five tips for staying safe online, check out our award-winning course catalogue and explore the range of great resources we have available.