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Device Care & Security.pdfSafekeeping your personal devices
Do you know that the smartphone penetration rate in Singapore is around 85%[1] of the population? Everywhere you go – bus, MRT, MacDonald’s, shopping malls – and everyone you look around will in some way or another be engaged with their phone.
According to a survey done in 2019, many children received a mobile phone from their parents from as young as Primary 2, while some of you may only have gotten your first phone this year.
Being a small and lightweight device, it is often easily kept in your pocket. However, it can also be absent-mindedly left behind when you place it on a table when you are eating, having a meeting or going about your daily activities. Or you may accidentally leave it in the toilet.
What about other devices like tablets, laptops and even thumb drives? It is not uncommon as well for students to report to the school that they have misplaced these items. Losing your phone might result in inconveniences such as the temporary loss of communication with your friends and loved ones (until your parents forgive you and agree to get you a new phone). Losing your thumb drive, or laptop could have even dire consequences such as permanently losing your work documents such as your personal notes, typed assignments and project files!
Hence, remember to:
1. Check your immediate area before you leave a place to ensure you do not leave any items behind.
2. Keep your items in secured compartments to prevent accidental drops.
Protecting your online accounts
The average person has to memorise up to 100 passwords/codes at every one time. Well, maybe not for you at your current age. What kind of passwords do you have to remember as you go around your daily life?
There is a password/code for your mobile phone, another password for your laptop, password for your school email/iEMB account/ISP accounts, and password for your Google account, Chrome, … the list goes on.
Given the large number of passwords to remember, it is common for some of us to forget about them, or to use carelessly created passwords in order to minimise the inconvenience of trying to remember them. Some of us even rely on default passwords/codes such as “password” or “0000”, which results in the account being easily hacked into.
Recently, the Singapore Police Force has also sent out a warning about a global cyber-attack[2] on smart devices in homes such as IP cameras and smart TVs.
To protect your devices from wrongful access and misuse, it is important to set strong passwords. Use these tips to help you:
1. Avoid using personal information in your password (e.g. nickname, date of birth, etc.).
2. Include the use of special characters (such as @ and %), uppercase, numbers and punctuations.
Be mindful also when you are unlocking your devices/entering your passwords when there are people around you. Someone may be watching in hope of an opportunity to access your device when you are not looking/using it.
Finally, keep up to date with news about cyberattacks which may be closer to you than you think. Attacks have been launched by hackers in popular social media accounts and online accounts including WhatsApp and Google, hence it is important to set up security layers to prevent your account from being hacked, such as setting up 2FA (2-factor authentication) and security questions to help unlock your account in the event that it is locked by failed attempted access.
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