October Is Cybersecurity Awareness Month: Protect Your Family Online

Between online shopping, school emails, banking apps and working from home, so much of everyday life happens online. Protecting your household means thinking about the personal information you share there, too.

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, a good reminder to give your family’s online habits a quick checkup. At BIS Improved Insurance Agency, we encourage homeowners throughout Morris County and New Jersey to take a few simple steps toward better online protection.

Four Simple Ways to Improve Your Online Security

1. Give each account its own strong password.
Reusing passwords can put multiple accounts at risk if one is compromised. Choose long, unique passwords and use a password manager to help keep track of them.

2. Turn on multifactor authentication.
This adds another verification step when you sign in. Start with your email and financial accounts, then enable it wherever it’s available.

3. Pause before clicking.
Unexpected delivery notices, urgent payment requests and messages asking you to “verify” an account deserve a closer look. Go directly to the company’s official app or website instead of following an unfamiliar link. Report suspicious messages and delete them.

4. Keep your devices updated.
Software updates help address security weaknesses. Turn on automatic updates for your phone, computer and apps so protection doesn’t depend on remembering to click “update later.”

These four habits are recommended by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to help people stay safer online.

Make Online Safety a Family Conversation

A cybersecurity checkup doesn’t have to take an entire afternoon. Pick one task to start with, such as strengthening your email password or turning on account verification.

Talk with your children about checking with you before opening unfamiliar links, sharing personal information or making purchases in games. Encourage everyone in the household to speak up when something seems suspicious—or when they’ve clicked something they’re unsure about. You want asking for help to feel easy.

Include Cyber Protection in Your Insurance Review

Along with improving your online habits, consider asking about personal cyber insurance. Your insurance review is a good opportunity to discuss how you use technology at home and what protection may fit your household.

Some helpful questions to ask include:

• What types of cyber incidents would the policy cover?

• What assistance is available after a covered incident?

• What deductibles, limits and exclusions apply?

• Who in my household would be insured?

• If I run a business from home, what additional protection should I consider?

Understanding these details can help you make an informed decision about coverage.

Take the Next Step to Protect Your Household

This October, make time for a few security updates and a conversation about cyber protection.

BIS Improved Insurance Agency helps individuals and families throughout Morris County and across New Jersey explore their insurance options. To get started, request a personal cyber insurance quote through BOXX Insurance, or contact our team with questions.

We’re happy to help you understand your options and find coverage that fits your needs.

Reach out to us with any additional questions. Click here!

Coverage is subject to the policy’s terms, conditions, limits and exclusions.