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DanR
Community Manager
Community Manager

October is national Cyber Security Awareness Month (CSAM) and there’s never been a more important time to ensure that we’re doing everything we can to stay safe online. CSAM is an annual campaign held each October in Canada and internationally to highlight the importance of cyber security. Organizers encourage everyone to take the time to get informed about how to protect themselves, their families and their workplaces from cyber-crime. 

 

During a time when so many of us are working from home, making sure that we take the necessary steps to keep our data and information safe is vital. Let’s go through some key tips you can take to ensure you and your family stay safe in our digital world.

 

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Be careful what you share

 

Your data and personal information is of the utmost importance to keep safe. Be cautious when giving out any info, regardless of how trivial it may seem. Set the privacy and security settings on social media to your comfort level for how much you want to share.

 

Use strong passwords

 

If this sounds like the oldest advice in the book, there’s a reason. Your first and best line of defense online is to make sure nobody has access to your information. Use long passwords, consider using upper and lower case letters and symbols/numbers if applicable. Don’t use the same password for multiple accounts. Keep a paper list of your passwords in a secure place if possible. Consider using your cellphone or browser’s automatic password creation feature or fingerprint ID.

 

Keep your phone updated

 

Phone updates don’t just introduce fancy new features. Many minor updates to your phone’s operating system are intended to address security issues that are identified in a given version of the software. Keeping your phone up-to-date is an important way of ensuring that it’s not vulnerable to any potential exploits. We are continually releasing updates for our devices, so keep an eye on our software update schedule, here.

 

Recognize Phishing Attempts

 

Be wary of any email that invites you to open and click on attachments. These “phishing” emails attempt to lure the user to click on a suspicious attachment, usually with the promise of money or prizes. They can use more subtle tactics, as well, taking the form of calendar attachments, text files, or .zip files, to name a few. Clicking on these attachments can compromise the user’s computer, and cede control to a malicious third party. As such, it’s important to always be on the lookout for phishing attempts, and when in doubt, delete. Check out this article for more information about phishing scams and the forms they can take.

 

Here at TELUS we want you to be as safe as you can. We recommend checking out TELUS Wise, our educational program created to empower Canadians to have a more positive and secure experience online.

  

 

TELUS Online Security Powered by NortonLifeLockTM

 

TELUS Online Security (TOS) can help you test the strength of your existing passwords, auto-generate complex ones, and sync your logins across devices with Norton Password Manager^.

 

The TOS Standard, Complete, and Ultimate plans also provide all-in-one online protection for multiple devices; and, depending on your package, Credit Monitoring Alerts1, Identity Theft Reimbursement Coverage †, and LifeLock Full-Service Identity Restoration.

 

Learn more about our powerful cyber safety solutions by visiting TELUS Online Security.



 

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No one can prevent all identity theft or all cybercrime.

 

^ Mobile app and browser extension must be installed separately.

 

† The Identity Theft Reimbursement Coverage, with a limit of up to $25,000 for Basic Plus, up to $100,000 for Premium and up to $1 Million for Premium Plus, is underwritten and administered by American Bankers Insurance Company of Florida, an Assurant company. Please refer to the actual policies for terms, conditions, and exclusions of coverage. Coverage may not be available in all jurisdictions. Review the Summary of Benefits under the Insurance Coverage (Canada) here.

 

1 If your plan includes credit reports, scores, and/or credit monitoring features ("Credit Features"), two requirements must be met to receive said features: (i) your identity must be successfully verified with TransUnion; and (ii) TransUnion and Equifax must be able to locate your credit file that contains sufficient credit history information. If these requirements are not met you will not receive credit features from the bureaus. You will receive Credit Features once the verification process is successfully completed. Any credit monitoring will take several days to begin after your successful plan enrollment.

 

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