At home for the holidays? Send your loved ones this best cybersecurity advise

Make the Holidays More Secure: A Guide to Helping Loved Ones with Cybersecurity

The festive season often brings family gatherings, and with it, the familiar task of resolving tech issues like unstable Wi-Fi or fixing the family printer. This year, consider offering something even more valuable: practical cybersecurity advice. It’s an opportunity to make a lasting impact by helping loved ones protect themselves from online threats.

Why Cybersecurity Matters

Cybersecurity is like insurance—you hope you never need it. Yet, many people underestimate their vulnerability to hacking or identity theft, assuming it "won’t happen to me." Outdated passwords or weak security practices often leave them exposed to risks. Investing a few minutes to share basic cybersecurity tips could make a world of difference.

Simple Steps to Strengthen Cybersecurity

To identify the best advice to share, cybersecurity experts Rachel Tobac, CEO of SocialProof Security, and Caitlin Condon, vulnerability intelligence director at Rapid7, emphasize starting with the basics. These foundational steps can significantly enhance your loved ones' online safety.

1. Use a Password Manager

Password managers store and generate strong, unique passwords for every account, eliminating the need to reuse or remember them. Options like built-in browser managers, Apple’s Passwords app, or third-party tools like Bitwarden make managing passwords easy and secure.

Setting one up might feel daunting for less tech-savvy family members, so offer hands-on assistance to help them create a master password, install the tool, and secure critical accounts like banking and healthcare.

For those worried about forgetting the master password, writing it down and storing it securely at home is far safer than relying on guessable passwords.

2. Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

Passwords alone aren’t enough to safeguard accounts. MFA adds a second layer of security, such as a text message or a code from an authenticator app, making unauthorized access much harder.

Encourage your family to enable MFA on key accounts, starting with their email. This can protect accounts tied to financial and personal information. Suggest using authenticator apps like Duo Mobile for added security instead of relying solely on SMS-based codes.

3. Be Cautious with Phone and Online Scams

Scammers often use spam calls, texts, and emails to trick people into revealing personal information. Teach your loved ones to let unknown calls go to voicemail and verify suspicious requests independently. For example, if someone claims to be from their bank, they should hang up and call back using the official number on their bank card.

To make this easier, help them bookmark trusted websites or create browser shortcuts for secure account logins.

Building Confidence Through Hands-On Help

Helping someone set up these tools and understand their importance builds confidence and encourages long-term security habits. Learning together is often more effective than simply recommending an app or feature.

The Best Gift: Peace of Mind

By helping loved ones implement basic cybersecurity measures—password managers, MFA, and cautious communication practices—you can provide them with a gift that truly matters: the ability to stay protected in an increasingly digital world.

As Tobac says, “The gift of not getting hacked is the best gift you could give.”