Overview
Working on an organizing campaign means you’re going to have access to some mission-critical information. If it’s been a while since you’ve thought about how to keep your information safe from prying eyes, here’s a quick checklist that will run you through some of the basics.
We’ve also included some overall security best practices to help keep your devices running clean and minimize your downtime due to bloated apps, malware or viruses.
While you’re here, you may want to check out the fantastic free app by Ragtag called Stethoscope. It offers an easy security health-check that runs directly on your home or work computer, with suggestions for safer security settings and step-by-step instructions on how to enable them. Some of their best practices were used in this article.
Use unique passwords.
Use a different password for each of your important logins like email, your online bank account, and Broadstripes.
Memorize your passwords.
Don’t write logins and passwords on a Post-it note next to your monitor or under your keyboard – take the time to memorize them.
Don’t stay logged in on a public terminal.
Always log out of Broadstripes or other apps if you’re done at a shared cubicle or coffee shop computer.
Use a screen saver lock.
Screen saver locks, or screen locks, prevent someone from accessing your computer when you step away by requiring a password to dismiss the screen saver or wake from “sleep” mode. Setting the timeout (the length of idle time before the screen saver takes effect) to 10 minutes or less is a good rule of thumb.
- Choose System Preferences from the Apple menu.
- Click Security or Security & Privacy.
- Select the General tab.
- Unlock the pane by clicking the lock in the lower-left corner and enter the administrator username and password.
- Check the “Require password” box and set the pull down menu to to “immediately” after sleep or screen saver begins.
- From the Accounts screen, choose Sign-in options
- Select When PC wakes up from sleep under Require sign-in.
- Set the timeout (sleep) period. Specify a sleep period of 10 minutes or under System and Power & sleep in Windows Settings.
Don’t do your union work on management’s wifi.
Management policies often reserve the right to search your browsing history if you’ve been logged on to their wifi, so only organize when you’re on a non-management connection.
Where possible, set up two-factor authentication (2FA).
Most leading tech companies and many major banks offer 2FA. In most cases, the second step in authentication involves texting a temporary security code to the cell phone number that is already on file for your account. In the case that someone gets access to your login credentials, 2FA will keep your account safe unless that unauthorized user also has possession of your phone.
Keep your operating system, software, and apps up to date.
New vulnerabilities and weaknesses are found every day, so frequent updates are essential to ensuring your computer or mobile device is protected. You’ll be happy to know that Broadstripes updates automatically – just log in and you’re running the latest, most secure version – so that’s one app you won’t need to think about.
Once you’re up to date, stay up to date with automatic updates.
Enabling automatic updating helps ensure your device is up-to-date without having to work so hard.
- Choose System Preferences from the Apple menu.
- Click App Store.
- Click “Automatically check for updates“
- From the Start screen, open the Store.
- Choose Settings.
- Choose App updates.
- Set “Automatically update my apps” to Yes.
- Choose System Preferences from the Apple menu.
- Click Security or Security & Privacy.
- Click the Firewall tab.
- Unlock the pane by clicking the lock in the lower-left corner and enter the administrator username and password.
- Click “Turn On Firewall” or “Start” to enable the firewall.
- Click Advanced to customize the firewall configuration.
- Select the Start button, and then select Settings.
- Click Update & Security > Windows Security > Firewall & network protection.
- Choose a network profile, and then under Windows Defender Firewall, switch the setting to On.
Use full-disk encryption.
Full-disk encryption protects your computer’s data from being accessed by anyone who does not know the password or decryption key. This is especially reassuring if your computer is ever stolen – the thief will have your computer, but they won’t have access to your files.
- Choose System Preferences from the Apple menu.
- Click Security or Security & Privacy.
- Click the FileVault tab.
- Unlock the pane by clicking the lock in the lower-left corner and enter the administrator username and password.
- Click “Turn On FileVault” to start the process.
- Sign in to Windows with an administrator account.
- Select the Start button, and then type “manage BitLocker.”
- Select Manage BitLocker from the list of results.
- Select Turn on BitLocker, and then follow the instructions.
Disable Remote Login connections.
The ‘Remote Login’ setting on your device controls whether users can log in to your system from other locations. If you don’t know what this is or have a need to use it, you should disable ‘Remote Login’.
- Choose System Preferences from the Apple menu.
- Click Sharing.
- Uncheck “Remote Login” on the left.
- For Windows 10, Type “remote settings” in the Cortana search box and select Allow remote access to your computer. This action seems counterintuitive, but it opens the Control Panel dialog for Remote System Properties.
- Check “Don’t Allow Remote Connections to This Computer.”
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For earlier versions of Windows:
- Go to the Advanced System Settings or System and Security window.
- Under the Remote tab, check “Don’t Allow Remote Connections to This Computer” or “Don’t Allow Connections to This Computer.”
Audit your browser.
If you’re like most people, you probably spend a lot of your computing time on a web browser. Securing your browser just takes a few steps and will help keep you safer on the web.
If your browser does not offer automatic updates, make sure you’re running the latest version of the browser to take advantage of its most recent security patches.
Keep on top of the add-ons or plug-ins you’ve installed. You don’t want anything that is questionable, redundant or unused since these extra programs potentially have access to everything you do in the browser. Try to limit what you keep to just essential, trusted add-ons.
To check your add-ons:
- In Chrome, choose More tools then Extensions from the browser menu.
- In Firefox, from the browser menu, choose Add-ons to review your options.
- In Safari, Choose Safari > Preferences, then Extensions.
Periodically review app permissions.
It’s worth reviewing the permissions each app is granted every so often. Whether it is on your phone, your Facebook account, or another device, looking into these permissions can improve your system’s performance, as well as cover you from a privacy and security perspective. Most apps let you see exactly what they’ve been granted to do on your system. As you review your apps’ permissions, here are some things to consider:
- Nothing on your system should be accessing the camera and the microphone without good reason (to enable video calls, usually).
- The same goes for apps that access your contact lists.
- Location is another permission to keep a close eye on.
- While you’re reviewing app permissions, you might want to take a second to uninstall apps you’re not using anymore.