Data Security
Best Practices
It is important to stay on top of securing your data so that not only your personal and financial data are safe, but so are the data that you have access to — such as students’ and volunteers’ information.
We encourage you to adopt best practices for you to ensure that you are keeping your data secure.
- Change your passwords every 90 days.
This includes my.technovationchallenge.org, Slack, your email provider, curiositymachine.org, or any other site while volunteering with us. Remember to not set your password as “password” or “12345678” or something else easy to hack. Learn about creating secure passwords. - Get antivirus protection for your device(s).
This is the “last defense” against a cyber attack in your network. Make sure to keep it updated. - Don’t access sensitive data while using public wifi.
Using public wifi exposes you to a higher chance of a cyber attack, so hold off on opening your bank or credit card app, email provider, Google Suite, online platforms for Technovation or Curiosity Machine, or any other sites that may contain sensitive financial, identity, medical, or other personal information while on public wifi. - Back up your data regularly.
Back up your data to a cloud service or hard drive regularly so that if you are hacked, you do not lose anything. If possible, encrypt your hard drive so the files are only accessible to you. - Delete files that contain student data right after use.
If you download files with student information, delete them right after you use them. Then, remember to empty your computer’s trash. - Communicate with students through their parents/teachers.
When possible, contact students through their parents or teachers rather than directly over email, messenger, or other platforms. - Use best practices for mass emailing.
When sending a mass email out, always move the email addresses to the “BCC” field. This way recipients cannot see others’ email addresses.
If you think you have lost student data or put any data at risk, let us know right away. It is better to let us know so we can find solutions together.
We recommend that you pass on these tips to the students you work with so that they ensure the safety of their and other students’ data too!