Dashlane surveyed over 100 college students from around the world and discovered that a little more than half (51 percent) of all students surveyed said they’ve had a password compromised or an online account hacked. As the tech-savviest generation, how it is possible that so many young adults are still falling victim to cyber attacks?
Well, to put it simply, hackers and cyber criminals know that the easiest way to exploit a network, system, or an online account is to target its most vulnerable security point–you. Similar to how publications like Buzzfeed successfully get you to watch a video of a wedding proposal that “will make you cry”, criminals exploit victims using powerful emotions like fear, sympathy, curiosity, and urgency. This day and age, cyber criminals are manipulating powerful emotions to effectively compel you to hand over private, sensitive data, click a malicious link, or download a malicious software.
But there’s more to fear than a suspicious email. We now share more personal details–including extremely sensitive details–about ourselves than ever before, making it even easier to exploit private photos, our personal whereabouts, and become targets of harassment and physical violence. In sum, your online security goes beyond just protecting your Facebook account–it’s now about protecting your physical and digital identities both on and offline.
With that in mind, we’ve created this modern guide on online safety for college students and other tech-savvy young adults to specifically address the unique challenges we face online. Over the next few weeks, we’ll publish additional chapters identifying the cyber threats facing college students today and offering expert tips on how to protect yourself.
Are you an educator, administrator, or IT manager?
We created a guide for you, too! As the Education industry becomes a growing target for various cyber attacks, we created an essential guide that explains the cyber threats targeting higher education institutions and shares our online security tips to help you protect your personal devices, keep your personal information private, and help you and your students practice safer online habits.
Parents: Are your kid’s favorite websites keeping them safe?
As a parent, you want to make sure that your kids are fully prepared before the first day of school. Aside from clothes, shoes, and school supplies, a brand-new laptop or smartphone might be on your back-to-school shopping list. Before you purchase that laptop or smartphone for your child, take a look at our list of the top ten most popular kids’ websites with safe password practices.
Introducing a Special Offer for Students
To also help you get started with managing your digital identity, Dashlane is launching a special promotion for U.S-based college students available today! We’re offering our award-winning password manager to students and professors with a valid .edu address for FREE.
To learn more about this special offer, visit dashlane.com/students.