Good Afternoon all,

I just wanted to send a message out to say thankyou to those who attended, engaged with or even just shared knowledge of our drop in sessions across Melksham and Trowbridge. All 4 dates have been very successful and it's been a pleasure to help you with your cyber crime queries. Also wanted to say a huge thankyou to Melksham Community Campus and Trowbridge County Hall for hosting.

We will be looking to hold more drop in sessions over the coming months and will advertise them here as well as further partnership work we do to reach more people in the community.

I've collated some key points to help you protect yourselves online below. Please keep looking out for further information and potentially a bi-monthly newsletter in the near future.

Strong & Separate Passwords - It is important to have strong passwords for your accounts, the NCSC recommends using 3 random words to ensure length and complexity. Do not duplicate passwords and use a password manager to help you remember them.

2 Step Verification - Enable 2SV on all accounts which allow it. 2SV is a 2nd layer of security and works by sending a code to your phone or email. We recommend you use an authenticator app which will automatically generate a code for you as it is generally more secure than using SMS.

Software Updates - You should apply updates to your apps and your device software as soon as possible. Updates include protection against the latest threats and will often include improvements and new features.

Back up - Backing up data can be time consuming initially, but it should be a priority. You should back up any personal/sensitive data to either a cloud based storage system or a hard drive away from your network.

Digital Footprint - This is the information which is available about you online. Be aware of what you and others post about you online. Cyber criminals harvest personal information to gain access to your accounts or to craft targeted phishing messages to you. Compromised digital footprints can also lead to identity fraud and reputational damage.