It is time to ‘spring clean’ your technology as well as your home

It is that time of year when we tend to think about spring cleaning our homes. This year Dyfed Powys Police are supporting the Get Safe Online campaign to spring clean computers, laptops, tablets and phones to freshen up security settings and passwords.

DS Rob Gravelle of the Digital and Cyber Crime Unit said, “We hardly ever change our passwords for the technology we use and this can make us an easy target for criminals. We are asking people to take a few moments and to think about how easy it would be to protect the technology they use each day and to improve the security settings and passwords.

Our partners Get Safe Online recommend the following steps:

• Make sure you install security software on all devices from a reputable supplier
• Thousands of new viruses are detected each year, so keep your security software up to date in order to provide the most complete protection
• Whether it’s a phone, website or a social media account, your first line of defence is a PIN or password so give yours a refresh this Spring
• Never use the same password and make sure it is hard to guess (don’t use your pet’s name, your birthday or your favourite football team)
• Make sure your home Wi-Fi is protected with a strong password that only you and your family know

In addition, if you are disposing of any old computers, laptops, phones or tablets, remember that they still hold a lot of information about you and should be disposed of safely:

• Copy all of the data you will need in the future on to your new PC or storage device, or back it up in the cloud
• Fully erase the hard disk so that any personal information is completely deleted. Simply deleting files is not enough to permanently erase them, instead, use a dedicated file deletion program or service, or physically destroy the hard drive to render it unusable
• Ensure that any CDs or DVDs which contain your data are removed from the computer and dispose of these with care
• Take your old computer equipment to a proper disposal facility, as these will ensure that is dismantled and the components recycled correctly and responsibly

Tony Neate, CEO of Get Safe Online, commented, “This spring we want to encourage people to take their spring cleaning a step further and give their technology some attention. Installing security software and keeping it up to date is one of the most basic things we can do to stay safe online and, by not bothering, people are opening themselves up to dangerous scams, spam and viruses. And as our smartphones and tablets become a bigger part of our lives, we must get into the same mind-set as we have with our computers and install security software as second nature.

“Another basic precaution to keep your information safe and avoid identity theft is to always use a PIN number or password on all your devices. It might seem like an inconvenience at first but it will soon become second nature and it will save time, money and hassle in the long run.”

Also an helpful guide can be found at: https://www.safetydetectives.com/blog/parents-guide-for-safe-youtube-and-internet-streaming-for-kids/

Another very useful guide can be found here: Child Internet Safety Guide – nstlaw.com/child-safety/internet/