» Cyber Security Awareness Tips

Rebecca Peters, Criminal Justice

Alumni Testimonial

While working and attending school full-time, I was able to achieve the amazing honor of being named Eastern Maine Community College’s Student of the Year for 2022. I would not have been able to achieve any of this without the amazing support that I received from my advisor, instructors, and fellow classmates in the Criminal Justice Program.

EMCC is a school for anyone with goals and the drive to achieve them. The staff and culture are focused on an individualized student experience that can guarantee the success of those willing to work for it. I was able to work full-time, attend school with a full schedule, and still be present for my family life while earning my degree. My life looks very different today than it did during that first week of my very first semester, and I owe much of that to my experience in the Criminal Justice Program!

Cyber Security Awareness Tips

Phishing Emails

If an email looks unusual, suspicious, or claims an unusual immediate need, call the person listed as the sender to verify they sent the email.

Hold your mouse over the email address and see if the address that appears matches the real address of the listed sender.

NEVER respond to requests for personal or user login information via email. Businesses will never ask for personal information in an email.

Do not enter personal information in a pop-up screen.

Do not click on any links listed in an e-mail message. If you must view the link, copy and paste the URL into your browser.

For your personally owned devices, use anti-virus and anti-spyware software and update them regularly.

Dispose of Information Properly

Destroy/shred hard copy confidential documents that contain personal information such as social security numbers, credit card numbers, bank account numbers, and health records.

Follow the same retention policy for electronic records and files that you already follow for paper records.

Ensure you are using the right tools when destroying and disposing of personal information or media storage from your computer and mobile devices.

Lock it when you leave

It takes only a few seconds to secure your computer and help protect it from unauthorized access. Lock down your computer every time you leave your desk. (You can use Windows logo key + L to lock the screen.)

Set up a screen-saver that will lock your computer after a pre-set amount of time and require a password to log back in.

If your computer is used by more than one person, make sure that each user has an individual account with a unique login and passwords for each user.

Choose a strong password. A good password should always include upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and at least one special character. Do not set the option that allows a computer to remember any password.