Safeguarding personal info during graduation season

Cybersecurity expert Kimberly Simon talks about some ways to celebrate milestones safely online.
Posted 6/6/2025, 5:09:00 PM Updated 6/6/2025, 5:58:07 PM

AR.

>> IT IS GRADUATION SEASON.

AND IF YOU'RE ON SOCIAL MEDIA

FEED IS PROBABLY FLOODED WITH

ANNOUNCEMENTS. BUT YOU'RE PROUD

POST ABOUT YOUR CHILD OR FAMILY

MEMBERS. GRADUATION COULD PUT

YOUR PRIVACY AT RISK. HERE TO

TALK WITH US ABOUT 4 KEY WAYS

YOU CAN CELEBRATE THOSE

MILESTONE SAFELY. A CYBER

SECURITY EXPERT, KIMBERLY

SIMON. KIMBERLY, GREAT TO SEE

YOU AGAIN. GOOD TO SEE YOU.

SO GRADUATION IS A HUGE

MILESTONE, OF COURSE, AND LOTS

OF PEOPLE THEY ARE HAPPY ABOUT

THAT MOMENT. THEY WANT TO SHARE

IT ON SOCIAL MEDIA. WHY IS

THERE CONCERN ABOUT A RISK TO

PRIVACY FOR THAT? YOU WRITE

GRADUATION SEASON IS A TIME

FOR CELEBRATION BUT SHARING TOO

MUCH INFORMATION ONLINE CAN

MAKE THAT CELEBRATION INTO A

GATEWAY FOR CYBER CRIMINALS.

REMEMBER THE INFORMATION THAT

YOU SHARE CAN BE USED TO BYPASS

SECURITY QUESTIONS. IT CAN BE

USED TO IMPERSONATE YOU OR YOUR

CHILDREN.

>> AND IT CAN ALSO BE USED TO

FIGURE OUT CONCRETE POLE FALLS

AROUND YOU. OKAY. SO LET'S WALK

THROUGH SOME WAYS THAT WE CAN

MAKE SURE THAT OUR INFORMATION

IS NOT AT RISK AGAIN AND STILL

BE ABLE TO SHARE YOUR PICTURES,

RIGHT? SO FIRST, YOU TALK ABOUT

TIGHTENING PRIVACY SETTINGS.

GREAT FIRST THING IS TO TIGHTEN

YOUR PRIVACY SETTINGS. SO GOING

TO A SOCIAL MEDIA AND LOOK AT

YOUR SETTINGS, MAKE SURE THAT

YOUR POST ONLY VISIBLE TO

FRIENDS AND NOT THE GENERAL

PUBLIC. YOU WANT TO GO BACK

IF YOU'VE ALREADY POSTED AND IF

YOU HAVE POST WITH A LOT OF

PERSONAL INFORMATION, JUST MAKE

SURE THAT THE ONLY VISIBLE TO

FRIENDS AND NOT THE GENERAL

PUBLIC UK AND THEN ALSO YOU

WANT TO YOUR TALKING ABOUT

EDITING SOME OF THAT IDENTIFY

ALL INFORMATION OR NOT TELLING

FOLKS TO TAKE DOWN THE POST

NECESSARILY, BUT BE CAREFUL

WHAT YOU SHARE. YOU TALK ABOUT

LIKE FULL NAMES WERE EXAM.

YEAH. OR SCHOOL NAMES?

ABSOLUTELY. SO IF YOU HAVE A

POST AND IT'S GOT YOUR PHOTO,

IT'S GOT THE NAME OF YOUR

SCHOOL. YOUR GRADUATION YEAR.

THE CITY YOU LIVE IN. IT'S A

LOT OF INFORMATION RIGHT THERE.

SO YOU CAN GO BACK TO POST WAY

YOU SHARING TOO MUCH

INFORMATION AND JUST AT IT, YOU

DON'T HAVE TO TAKE DOWN THE

POST. BUT YOU CAN JUST TRIMMED

DOWN SOME OF THOSE BREAD CRUMBS

THAT YOU'VE BEEN LEAVING FOR

CYBER CRIMINALS. ALL RIGHT.

AND THIS IS MIGHT BE A GOOD

TIME TO THINK ABOUT THE

PASSWORDS THAT YOU'RE USING.

AND IF I'M USING IT TO

GRADUATION INFORMATION, THE

PAST TO MAKE UP YOUR PASSED

OVER IN A YOU BE SO AMAZED HOW

MANY PEOPLE USE THIS SCHOOL

AS THEY PASS WORD. AND YET

THAT'S PUBLIC INFORMATION.

SO IF YOU ARE USING THE NAME OF

YOUR SCHOOL, THE NAME OF YOUR

COLLEGE AS YOUR PASSPORT TO

CHANGE THAT RIGHT NOW. AND IF

YOU ARE USING THE NAME OF YOUR

SCHOOL AS ONE OF THOSE SECURITY

QUESTIONS THAT YOU USE WHEN

YOU FORGET YOUR PASSWORD, FOR

EXAMPLE, YOU WANT TO GO AHEAD

AND CHANGE THAT. ANYTHING THAT

YOU SHARING PUBLICLY ON SOCIAL

MEDIA. IT'S EASY TO USE THAT

YOU'LL PASS IT BY SAYING WHAT'S

THE NAME OF YOUR FIRST PET WHEN

YOU POSTED EVERY DAY OR THE

NAME OF YOUR SCHOOL? WHEN

YOU'VE BEEN SHARING THAT ON

SOCIAL MEDIA. SO MAYBE IF YOU

DO WANT TO SHARE THAT

INFORMATION, THEN DON'T MAKE IT

YOUR PASSWORD. DO MAKE IT.

YOU SAW SOME WOOD AND DON'T

MAKE IT YOUR SECURITY QUESTION

AND FINALLY, MOST PEOPLE DON'T

REALIZE THAT KIDS CAN BE

VICTIMS OF IDENTITY THEFT.

SO HOW CAN WE PROTECT OUR

GUESTS? AND WE WANT SHARE SOME

GOOD NEWS ABOUT THEM.

ABSOLUTELY. SO THE FIRST THING

IS TO MONITOR YOUR CHILD'S

CREDIT AND ALSO CAN SEE THE

FREEZING IT THE UNTIL IT'S

NEEDED BECAUSE OFTEN TEENAGERS

OF BEING TARGETED FOR IDENTITY

THEFT. KIMBERLY SIMON, ALWAYS

GOOD TO HAVE YOU. AND THANK

YOU FOR LETTING US KNOW HOW WE

CAN PROTECT OUR INFORMATION