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5 tips to protect yourself online and on social media

Posted at 4:07 PM, Nov 27, 2017
and last updated 2017-11-27 18:08:33-05

The University of Arizona's GenCyber program gives students the opportunity to learn about cyber defense. 

UA lecturer and Information security expert Eric Case has taught students how to be safe while online and using social media apps. 

"As soon as you share that picture you have released it to the world you no longer have control over it," Case said.

He suggests creating a list of all social media and online accounts with the passwords. 

"How many of those have a shared password?" he said. "If one of those is broken into, they have the password, and they have the username to get in, the same email address and so they can try that everywhere."

He recommends using a password manager to create many different and unique passwords. 

When looking through email and social media posts, he advises to be skeptical, look out for misspelled words and grammar errors. 

"Being bullied online is the same as being bullied in person. You cant really protect yourself. There is nothing you can do to stop it other than report it. Once it happens just report it just nip it in the bud don't let it go on, don't let them think they can get away with this."

Case also says everything posted online, even though it is on a private account, can be shared.  

"The internet has a really hard time forgetting things," he said. "Once it is out there, it is out there."

If you would like to learn more about cybersecurity, the Air Force Association holds CyberPatriot, which is a national youth cyber education program that teaches K-12 students how to defend themselves online.