October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, which is extremely fitting given that getting your identity stolen is seriously spooky stuff. Because we don’t want your halloween to involve battling a digital doppelgänger, we asked the experts at OCCC for 4 ways to keep your personal information secure online.

1. Never enter sensitive information, such as personally identifiable information, financial information, etc., into a website form unless the website is secure. How do you know if a website is secure you ask? It’s easy. All secure websites have a little closed lock icon in front of the URL in your browser. Take a look right now. You should see a little lock right in front of the URL for this page because the OCCC website is secure.
2. Never click on a link or an attachment in an email without verifying who it is from and that it was legitimately sent from them. Attempts to get information like this are getting really good. Hackers will even attempt to impersonate co-workers, so read your emails carefully. If you’re getting a link to a project you haven’t been looped in on or something about the email signature looks fishy, check in with the sender and make sure the email was from them.
3. Never give out sensitive information through email, such as personally identifiable information, financial information, etc. This one is easy. Just avoid giving this info out over email at all costs. If you have to provide personal info like your social security number or an ID number, pick up the phone and do it over a call.
4. Never click on a pop-up that you did not open yourself. If a a new window opens up randomly, don’t even attempt to close it out. Avoid clicking the pop-up entirely and close out the browser instead. This should do away with the pop-up too.

Interested in a career in cybersecurity? Check out our programs here.