Derbyshire Alert, the community messaging system for the whole of Derbyshire, have issued the following advice on behalf of Derbyshire Constabulary and Action Fraud. The advice comes as many people are falling victim to hackers who hatch their plans via scams to target devices.

The very word ‘hacked’ can strike fear into the heart of many of us. Whether it’s social media, email or your online banking, being hacked is concerning, frustrating and potentially expensive. But by installing a few updates to your devices, you can keep hackers out.

Here are some tips to help you keep your devices safe.

Why are software updates important?

Software updates are an important part of staying secure online. But why? You’ll often hear about the new features or performance improvements in a software update, but what isn’t talked about as often are the bug fixes and security improvements.

Out-of-date software and apps contain weaknesses and vulnerabilities. This makes them easier to hack. Companies fix the weaknesses by releasing updates. When you update your devices and software, this helps to keep hackers out.

Many people put off these updates and see them as an annoyance. Trust us, it’ll be more annoying if you’re hacked!

But why would cyber criminals target me?

Your device contains a lot of personal data that is highly valuable if it fell into the hands of a fraudster. The likelihood is your device will contain your full name, date of birth, address, bank details, passwords, as well as many other forms of personal data such as private photos or videos.

Improve your online security by using automatic software updates

We understand it can sometimes be annoying to remember to update your devices every time a new update is released, that’s why we encourage you to enable automatic updates wherever it’s available. That means you don’t have to manually install updates every time they’re released.

We’ve provided some useful links below where you can find step-by-step instructions on how to enable automatic updates for your devices and apps.

• Apple - Mac
• Apple - iPhone and iPad
• Microsoft Windows 10
• Windows 7 is no longer supported. You should upgrade to Windows 10
• Android smartphones and tablets
• Android apps

For more of the government’s latest advice on how to stay secure online, visit the Cyber Aware website: www.cyberaware.gov.uk

Reporting

Report all Fraud and Cybercrime to Action Fraud by calling 0300 123 2040 or online. Forward suspicious emails to report@phishing.gov.uk. Report SMS scams by forwarding the original message to 7726 (spells SPAM on the keypad).