Your online identity and personal data represents a lot of your life, study and wellbeing. The consequences of unknown &/or criminal parties getting access to it are at the very least a huge amount of hassle and worry, and at worst can adversely affect you, your contacts, and your credit rating for years. A whopping 1.3M people fall victim to identity theft annually, so to avoid being one of them make sure you get in the habit of doing this lot…. 

• Never leave your devices unattended and unlocked. 
• Put a screen lock pattern / PIN code (ideally 5 digits) on your Smartphone 
• Windows key + L locks all Windows devices 
• Always sign out fully from a public PC, including NMIT ones. 
• Don’t ‘over share’ on social media & know your privacy settings 
• Backup your personal data regularly 
• Avoid using flash/pen/USB drives – they’re very insecure and can easily fail/get lost 
• Auto-sync to cloud files storage services like OneDrive or Google Drive instead 
• Consider encrypting your data 
• Use antivirus software and keep it auto updated 
• Auto-update for Windows/Adobe/Java security updates – your device will perform better too 
• Don’t download files / attachments from untrusted sources 
• Upgrading to a new phone/computer? Remove/wipe/erase storage on the old one. 
• Follow the guidance in our how do I keep my NMIT account secure FAQ 
• Use the Stop & Think before you Click techniques from other FAQs