Study Smart. Click Smarter.

5 Cybersecurity Tips for College Students

All that convenience can also create opportunities for scammers looking to steal passwords, personal information and money. Fortunately, you do not need to major in cybersecurity to build better digital habits.

These five cybersecurity tips can help you protect your devices, accounts and personal information throughout the school year.

1. Stop Reusing Passwords

Your university login, email, banking apps and social media accounts should not share the same password.

If a scammer gets a reused password from one account, they may try it across other platforms. Create a strong, unique password for every important account. Aim for at least 15 characters, or use a passphrase made from several unrelated words.

A trusted password manager can create and securely store your passwords. That means fewer passwords to remember and less temptation to reuse the same one.

And yes, your school mascot plus your graduation year is probably more predictable than you think.

2. Turn on Multifactor Authentication

Multifactor authentication, commonly called MFA, adds another verification step when you sign in. Depending on the account, that step could involve an authenticator app, security key, fingerprint, facial recognition or one-time code.

MFA can help keep someone out of your account even if they have your password. Turn it on wherever it is available, especially for accounts connected to your personal or financial information.

Start with:

• University email and student portals
• Banking and payment apps
• Personal email
• Cloud storage
• Social media
• Shopping and food delivery apps

One extra step at login can save you from a semester’s worth of stress.

3. Think before clicking

College students receive plenty of legitimate messages about financial aid, tuition, class registration, campus jobs and package deliveries. Scammers know that, too.

A phishing message may pretend to come from a professor, university office, financial institution or delivery service. It might claim that your account will be suspended, offer a job that sounds too good to be true or ask you to verify personal information immediately.

Before clicking a link or opening an attachment, watch for:

• A misspelled or unfamiliar sender address
• Unexpected requests for passwords, payments or personal information
• Links that do not lead to an official website
• Urgent threats or pressure to act immediately
• Attachments you were not expecting
• Requests to pay with gift cards, cryptocurrency or payment apps

If a message seems suspicious, do not use the link or contact information it provides. Visit the organization’s official website or contact the sender using a trusted phone number or email address.

Pause. Check. Then click.

4. Keep your devices updated, locked and backed up

Your laptop and phone hold more than lecture notes. They may also contain saved passwords, personal emails, financial information and access to university systems.

Turn on automatic updates for your:

• Laptop
• Phone
• Tablet
• Operating systems
• Web browsers
• Apps
• Security software

Updates often include fixes for known security risks, so installing them promptly can help protect your devices.

Use a strong PIN, password or biometric lock on every device. Set devices to lock automatically after a short period of inactivity, and enable location or “find my device” features when available.

Avoid leaving devices unattended in libraries, classrooms, dining halls or other shared spaces. A missing device can expose your accounts and personal information along with putting a serious dent in your budget.

Finally, back up important assignments, notes and projects to a trusted cloud service or external drive. A missing laptop should not mean a missing final paper.

5. Protect your information on campus and off

Free Wi-Fi makes it easy to study from the library, student center or neighborhood coffee shop. Before connecting, confirm that you have the correct network name. A fake network with a familiar-looking name could be designed to trick users.

For sensitive tasks, such as accessing your bank account, use a trusted network or your phone’s cellular connection when possible. Always log out when using a shared or public computer.

Be thoughtful about what you share on social media, too. Avoid publicly posting:

• Your student ID
• Your full class schedule
• Your dorm room or apartment number
• Your travel plans
• Photos showing IDs, badges or financial documents
• Information commonly used to answer account security questions

If you lose a device, click a suspicious link or notice unfamiliar account activity, act quickly. Change affected passwords from a trusted device, contact your university’s IT department and notify your financial institution if banking or payment information may be at risk.

Make cybersecurity part of your college routine

Cybersecurity does not have to feel like another class. Use unique passwords, enable MFA, watch for phishing messages, update your devices and keep personal information private.

A few smart habits can help protect your money, schoolwork and identity, leaving you more time to focus on making the semester count.

The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual.