How to Talk to Your Pet About Cyber Safety

I never thought I’d have to address this topic, but it’s 2021 and here we are. After learning about a parrot that was placing Amazon orders for kites and raisins through Alexa, I decided it was finally time to address the elephant in the room. How do you talk to your pets about cyber safety?

Now obviously this post is satirical in nature and written out of good humor. As of now we do not even have a good way to communicate with our pets – that is until Elon Musk creates some futuristic gadget. But the overall topic is interesting. Will there come a point where our pets will be able to use the internet for communication?

Luckily, the same cyber safety tips I have for humans will also work for man’s best friend:

1. Have strong passwords that are at least 15 characters and are random.
2. Do not use the same password for multiple sites or applications. Each site you login to should have a unique password. This is why I recommend having a password keeper such as LastPass.
3. Do not use public Wi-Fi. This is a great way for hackers to get into your device. If you are in a public place, use a hotspot from your phone instead.
4. Do not open emails from unrecognized senders. If you do open them accidentally, or realize they are fraudulent after opening them, do not click any links or downloads. Delete the email and report it to your IT department.
5. Use Multi-Factor authentication for every application that allows it. This is a great way to secure your passwords. It requires an extra step to login, such as a fingerprint or key code sent to another device.
6. Make sure all your devices are up-to-date and patched frequently.
7. Work with an IT and cybersecurity partner who will make sure you are doing everything you can to stay protected from internet criminals and hackers.

If you need assistance implementing any of these cyber safety standards in your business, give TotalCare IT a call today. We help Idaho businesses with tech support, cybersecurity, and compliance consulting.