Consumers can decrease the likelihood of becoming a victim of a cybercriminal by adopting the following “best practices” and making sure that:

• Your antivirus software is updated
• Your web browser software is updated
• Your operating system is updated
• Your firewall is activated
• Remote access is deactivated
• Use strong passwords or passphrases. Do not use words found in a dictionary; use a combination of upper and lower case letters, numbers and symbols.
• Beware that downloading “free,” “cracked” or “pirated” software can simultaneously download malware that steals your personal information or tricks you into disclosing it.
• Beware of the downloading files from websites; malware can come from reputable websites as well as less reputable websites.
• Never open, view, save or execute any e-mail attachment unless you were expecting the attachment and you trust the sender. Be cautious even when dealing with trusted sources.
• Be careful when clicking on hyperlinks in e-mails and social media webpages, even when the hyperlink comes from a trusted source. Log on to the entity’s official website, instead of “linking” to it via an e-mail or social networking webpage.
• Don’t blindly click on shortened hyperlinks without expanding them first and verifying the trustworthiness of their ultimate destination.
• Be careful when clicking on hyperlinks produced by search engines, especially links related to hot topics “trending” in the media. Cybercriminals create malicious webpages to target people searching hot topics.
• Be suspicious of warnings that pop-up asking you to install media players, document viewers or security updates. You should only download software directly from the vendor’s website.
• If you use a wireless router, configure it for strong authentication and always require a strong password for access to it. If you have the default D-Link router login info still in place, change it.
• Do not transmit your personal or financial information over the Internet unless you first confirm the identity of the recipient and you trust that person with your information.
• Review the settings and preferences of applications loaded on your mobile device and make sure your information and privacy are protected. Pay particular attention to settings that permit access to your device’s data and location information.