RALEIGH—October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, but North Carolina Chief Risk Officer Maria Thompson says that people should be careful online all the time. She says that by practicing “cyber hygiene” and thinking before acting online, technology-users can help keep their data safe.

In 2018, the FBI reported a loss of $137 million for North Carolina due to cyber crime. Thompson says that though the state’s Department of Information and Technology has IT professionals looking out for threats, people can help protect their personal information by thinking before they click.

Thompson says that “anyone can be a victim of cyber crime.” She says that unsolicited emails, suspicious websites, and cell phone apps can all be used by cybercriminals to access people’s data. To prevent unauthorized accessing of personal information, Thompson suggests steering clear of suspicious emails and apps with strange coding “to make sure that you are surfing the web safely and securely.”

Thompson says that the easiest way to protect your data is to “think before you act” online.

More information on cyber safety and how to protect your data can be found at https://staysafeonline.org .