{"id":28117,"date":"2025-05-27T14:12:35","date_gmt":"2025-05-27T06:12:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/?post_type=oasis-news&p=28117"},"modified":"2025-05-15T14:22:45","modified_gmt":"2025-05-15T06:22:45","slug":"dont-be-the-next-victim-five-easy-ways-to-secure-your-devices","status":"publish","type":"oasis-news","link":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/oasis-news\/dont-be-the-next-victim-five-easy-ways-to-secure-your-devices\/","title":{"rendered":"Don\u2019t Be the Next Victim! Five Easy Ways to Secure Your Devices"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Reading time: 2 minutes<\/em><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

While cybercriminals continue to develop new ways to steal data and access networks, there are some straightforward preventative measures you can do to block them. Proactively updating your computer and removing adverts from view is a great way to protect yourself and the wider Curtin community. It can also provide you with performance gains and new features. Follow our tips to update and stay secure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our recommendations:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Operating system updates <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Updates should occur on your device automatically. However, if you notice that your computer has not restarted for an update within the past month, a manual update may be required. See the Australian Cyber Security Centres (ACSCs) guide<\/a> on how to update your phone and laptop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Browser updates<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Check if you need an update on your browser by opening your Microsoft Edge, Safari, Chrome or other browser at least once a month. After opening, it will update automatically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Existing apps and extensions <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

For applications you use check if they have an option to enable automatic updates for better security and performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you no longer use certain applications or browser extensions, it\u2019s best to uninstall or remove them. Not sure how to uninstall an application, see here for Windows<\/a>, Mac<\/a>, Android<\/a>, iPhone or iPad<\/a>. See here to remove a browser extension in Chrome<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consider an adblocker <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

An ad blocker can protect you from harmful ads and malware by preventing them from loading on websites. It also helps keep your personal data safer by blocking tracking tools. Just ensure you\u2019re using a reputable ad blocker to avoid potential security risks. Not sure what to use Adblock Plus<\/a> or Adblock Pro<\/a> are som popular options to consider.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pesky scam notifications<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

In addition to an adblocker, to stop scam pop-ups, disable website notifications in your browser settings on both Windows and Mac. On Windows, go to Settings > System > Notifications, and on Mac, go to System Preferences > Notifications to adjust alerts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Further information<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

For more information on staying cyber secure, refer to the Australian Cyber Security Centre\u2019s (ACSC) guide<\/a><\/ins> and checklist<\/a><\/ins>. If think you\u2019ve fallen for a scam and need assistance, visit the ACSC\u2019s how to recover from scams website.<\/a><\/ins><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article has been brought to you by Digital & Technology Solutions<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#MakeCurtinCyberSafe<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Follow our tips to bolster your device security and reduce the risk of cyber attacks. | Reading time: 2 mins<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4418,"featured_media":28118,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"_oasis_task_priority":"","_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"4854,5652,4824,6590,5820,4681","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","wds_primary_oasis-categories":0,"footnotes":""},"oasis-categories":[141],"class_list":["post-28117","oasis-news","type-oasis-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","oasis-categories-online"],"acf":{"post_options":{"":null,"banner":{"image":false}}},"featured_image":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/7.1-TITLE-Device-security-101-copy.jpg","author_meta":{"first_name":"Rachelle","last_name":"Erzay","display_name":"Rachelle Erzay"},"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-01 19:14:35","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"oasis-categories","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oasis-news\/28117","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oasis-news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/oasis-news"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4418"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oasis-news\/28117\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28118"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28117"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"oasis-categories","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oasis-categories?post=28117"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}