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Just like your home, your online accounts can collect clutter and occasionally need a few minutes of care. Start by considering what accounts you have online for both work and home. Chances are your accounts include e-mail, social media, clubs and organizations, shopping websites, and cloud storage.
- Do you need them all?
- Is there information in those accounts that isn’t needed anymore, such as saved credit cards and old documents?
- Are there accounts that you don’t use anymore and can close, like that old email account you never check?
- Are you using the same password across any of these accounts that you could easily make unique and more secure?
- Have you enabled Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)?
Speaking of e-mail, are there e-mails you can archive or delete? Many e-mail providers have limits on mailbox sizes, and for security reasons it’s always smart to limit what is available through your email account.
- How many emails are in your inbox?
- When was the last time you cleared out your deleted items or trash folder?
- Can you set a rule that will automatically empty your deleted items or trash folder on a regular basis?
Just like everything else, it’s a good idea to spring clean your social media accounts by taking a few minutes to review your security settings, friends, connections, and posts to make sure you are still comfortable with them.
- Is your information and content still current?
- Do your security settings ensure that only the authorized individuals can view what you post?
- Do you still use or need all of the social media sites you are registered to?
Smartphones, tablets, laptops, and computers make our lives so much easier. Here is your chance to ensure that doesn’t change.
- Delete unused apps and clear out any downloads you aren’t using any more.
- Make sure your devices require a password, pin, fingerprint, or facial recognition to login.
- Check for old files that can be archived or deleted. Don’t forget to empty the recycling/trash bin.
- Make sure your device’s security software is working properly (you do have antivirus installed, right?) and all software is patched and set to auto-update.
Many browsers can store your passwords or autofill settings, but over time the data stored by the browser can accumulate. Browsers are also not a secure place to store your passwords.
- Take a few minutes to check your browser settings, clear out old data, and ensure your browser’s security settings are still keeping you safe.
- Make sure that autofill doesn’t contain sensitive information and that you don’t store your passwords in your browser.
- Do you need all of the browsers that are installed on your system?
It's a good idea to take a moment, look at what is on your home network, and review how you are connecting to the Internet.
- Make sure your home router is secured with a complex and unique password and that it’s broadcast name doesn’t identify it as belonging to you.
- Setting up your wireless router to use a current encryption standard like WPA3 will greatly strengthen your home network security.
- See if there are additional security features you can turn on or install, such as firewalls or antivirus software.
Whether you save your data to the cloud or an external hard drive, spring cleaning is a good opportunity to make sure you have a complete backup of important files. No matter how you save them, make sure you are saving the right files and that you can restore everything from your backup. A backup that you can’t restore from isn’t useful at all.
Last, but certainly not least, take out the trash. Literally. Are there old devices in your house or office that should be recycled? Visit the Zero Waste Marin Recycling Guide to learn how to properly dispose of them. Just make sure to remove and shred/destroy hard drives and other components that may contain sensitive data prior to disposal.
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