The Mel Robbins Podcast#1 Cybersecurity Expert Reveals: 5 Ways to Protect Yourself Online (Starting Tonight)
EVERY SPOKEN WORD
80 min read · 15,626 words- 0:00 – 6:11
Meet The Guest
- MRMel Robbins
Today, you and I are going to learn to protect yourself online from award-winning cybersecurity expert, Caitlin Sarian. She has been recognized with multiple awards, including Cybersecurity Woman of the World, Cybersecurity Educator of the Year, Top CyberNews Magazine 40 Under 40 in 2024. Caitlin has been on a mission to make cybersecurity easy.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
[upbeat music] Cybersecurity is not for experts, it's literally for everyone. We use it every day, and it's not supposed to be a scary word. It's not a matter of if it happens to people, it's a matter of when. Everyone is gonna be an easy target because we were never taught how to protect ourselves. Password is the number one most popular password. That is still used to this day.
- MRMel Robbins
Password?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah.
- MRMel Robbins
And so as an expert in cybersecurity, you never hand out your real birthday or name or phone number online? Why?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Correct. My question back to you is, why do they need it?
- MRMel Robbins
Uh-
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Why do they need your phone number? Have they ever called you?
- MRMel Robbins
You also never post vacation photos while you're still away. Why? You also warn people about free Wi-Fi. Why?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Uh, I always say, if there's any free product or app, you are the product. Yeah, any of the apps that you use, the games that you play on your phone, the websites you go to, the, uh, accounts that you make online, like, every single thing that you're doing is... builds a larger and larger digital footprint.
- MRMel Robbins
Everything?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Everything.
- MRMel Robbins
If we just focus on these five things, even though you may feel overwhelmed right now, these are the five things that really will protect you online. What are those five things?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Passwords, software updates. The third thing you are gonna do is freeze your credit. The fourth thing you are doing is taking nine seconds before you click on any link.
- MRMel Robbins
What's the final thing that we're gonna do to protect ourselves?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Limit the-
- MRMel Robbins
[upbeat music] Hey, it's Mel, and before we get into this episode with an award-winning cybersecurity expert, you're gonna love this. Holy cow, my jaw was on the floor about the Venmo scam she's about to tell you about. My team was showing me 57% of you who watch the Mel Robbins Podcast here on YouTube are not subscribed yet. Could you do me a quick favor? Just hit Subscribe so that you don't miss any of the episodes that we post here on YouTube. It lets me know you're enjoying the guests and the content that we're bringing you, because I wanna make sure you don't miss a thing, and I'm so glad you're here for this episode 'cause this is a really good one. All right, let's dive in. [upbeat music] Caitlin Sarian, welcome to the Mel Robbins Podcast.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Thank you so much for having me. I'm honored to be here.
- MRMel Robbins
This is one of these conversations that I am equal parts so excited for, and I'm also feeling a little nervous because I know I'm going to learn that I'm doing a lot of things wrong. [chuckles] So do you get that a lot with people?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah, but the thing is, you're not supposed to know all this. Like, we were never taught this, so you shouldn't feel, like, embarrassed or ashamed by it.
- MRMel Robbins
Okay.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
We're gonna, like, empower you with the right things to do.
- MRMel Robbins
Okay, I love that, and here's where I wanna start. What could change about my life if I take everything to heart that you are about to teach us about cybersecurity, protecting ourselves, making smart decisions, especially online? What could change about my life if I apply everything you're about to teach us?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah. So cyber scams are massive right now, and actually, that economy is the third-largest economy in the world. That's how much money they're making from these cyber scams.
- MRMel Robbins
Wait a minute, the third-
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Third largest. US, China, cybersecurity scams.
- MRMel Robbins
What?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah. It's more than, I think, Germany and Japan's economy combined. So it's not a matter of if it happens to people, it's a matter of when, and no one's talking about it, and a lot of times, when people are getting scammed, they're ashamed of it.
- MRMel Robbins
Mm.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
So the point of this podcast is to empower you and give you cybersecurity routines that you can do, simple, easy, actionable tips that you can take back and start incorporating into your life so you feel safer and more protected online.
- 6:11 – 7:54
What Cybersecurity Means & Why It Matters
- CSCaitlin Sarian
is protecting your digital footprint, and your digital footprint is pretty much every single thing you do online.
- MRMel Robbins
So give me an example of what is part of your digital footprint-
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Right
- MRMel Robbins
... that might surprise you, that, "Oh, that's part of my digital footprint?"
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah. Any of the apps that you use, the games that you play on your phone, the websites you go to, the, uh, accounts that you make online. Like, every single thing that you're doing is wh- builds a larger and larger digital footprint.
- MRMel Robbins
Everything?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Everything.
- MRMel Robbins
So basically-
- CSCaitlin Sarian
It's all being recorded in some way, shape, or form.
- MRMel Robbins
All of it?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah.
- MRMel Robbins
Even when I think it's not?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah, and then the incognito is actually not incognito. That is incognito for your browser. So people are like, "Oh, if I go on, you know, private mode, that's gonna help protect..." No, that is private mode for you. So you go in incognito mode when you're- you might wanna buy your husband a gift, and your husband will go on your computer, that he won't see that you went on that website.
- MRMel Robbins
Okay.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
But that website is still able to see that you went on that website.
- MRMel Robbins
Okay, so hold on a second. See, already I'm like-
- CSCaitlin Sarian
[chuckles]
- MRMel Robbins
... "Wait a minute."
- CSCaitlin Sarian
We'll go- we'll get into this. We'll get into this.
- MRMel Robbins
Uh, and so you were talking about incognito mode-
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah
- MRMel Robbins
... meaning where you're like, "Okay, I think I'm gonna be sneaky"-
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah
- MRMel Robbins
... "and I'm gonna put onto my browser," whatever browser you use, "the incognito mode, where I think if I go to a website-
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Right
- MRMel Robbins
... the website doesn't know that it's Mel Robbins there." But that's not what's happening.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
No.
- MRMel Robbins
What's happening?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
What's happening is that your computer is not saving the cookies, and tags, and pixels that are, are automatically loaded. So cookies, tags, and pis- pixels, you accept cookies pretty much every time you go online.
- MRMel Robbins
I do. It's really annoying, and then I w- well, we're gonna get into this.
- 7:54 – 13:59
Privacy Tips: How to Protect Your Information Online
- MRMel Robbins
many specific lessons and specific things that you want us to do, starting now, and so I wanna start with some quick-fire questions.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yep.
- MRMel Robbins
And so as an expert in cybersecurity, you never hand out your real birthday, or name, or phone number online? Why?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Correct. Before we even get into that, I wanna say one thing, because I think we're gonna go through this list, and people are gonna be like, "Oh, my gosh, I do all this, all these things." At the end of this podcast, I'm gonna give you the five things that are, like, absolutely essential.
- MRMel Robbins
Okay.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
These ones are, like, a little bit more for, like, people that want more privacy, like myself. So I don't want people to get worried, like, s- you know, a couple questions in, like, "Oh, my gosh, I, I do this all the time." I'm gonna explain why, and I'm also gonna go through the pros and cons, right? So back to your question with, like, why I don't give, like, my real identity out online. My question back to you is, why do they need it?
- MRMel Robbins
Uh, so they can ship me all the stuff I'm buying that I don't need?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
But why do they need your name?
- MRMel Robbins
Uh-
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Why do they need your phone number? Have they ever called you?
- MRMel Robbins
No, but it's required.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
If you have a Google Voice number-
- MRMel Robbins
Uh-huh
- CSCaitlin Sarian
... Google has, allows you to, like, generate a, a number that gets forwarded to your real number.
- MRMel Robbins
Okay.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
So I kind of usually give that if I absolutely need to give a phone number. I don't ever give, like, my real information.
- MRMel Robbins
Okay.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
And that's because there's constantly profiles being made about you, and the more information you have online, the more it's sold to more and more people. My manager, for example, got a letter, like, a handwritten letter in her, her mail with a picture of her house saying, "We're in. We know exactly where you live. We've been tracking and monitoring you."
- MRMel Robbins
What?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
"We will take- don't worry, we'll be nice. We'll take it out if you pay us this much money in crypto." That's because her address was online. These scams are getting more and more intense, and so if I don't have to give, like, my real information, especially to, like, places that aren't shipping to you, right? If you're just, like, signing up for an account, like, why, why have we thought we need to be so truthful about who we are online? So I always tell people, "Make up an, like, a alternate persona," different name, different date of birth, you know. Technically, not a different address, unless it's a, you know, shipping to you, like Amazon. You obviously have to give your right address. But, like, if it's for a movie theater, why do they need to know your address?
- MRMel Robbins
It's so true. I, I hadn't even thought about this.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah.
- MRMel Robbins
And I guess it's because I have such a hard time keeping track of the actual information. [chuckles]
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Right.
- MRMel Robbins
But if you have a alias, so you have a name that you use whenever you sign up for a newsletter.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Mm-hmm.
- MRMel Robbins
You have a phone number, and you just mentioned that you could get a free Google phone number.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah.
- MRMel Robbins
It can be forwarded to your phone, or not.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah.
- 13:59 – 18:55
Public Wi‑Fi Risks: What to Know and What to Avoid
- CSCaitlin Sarian
especially... There's different types of free Wi-Fi, right? There's, like, free Wi-Fi in, you know, airports where, you know, you have connect to the free Starbucks Wi-Fi, or there's free Wi-Fi in airplanes. So we're gonna go through a few different ones.
- MRMel Robbins
Okay, please, 'cause now I'm thinking about, "Okay-
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah
- MRMel Robbins
... well, blah, blah, blah, what's happening here?" [chuckles]
- CSCaitlin Sarian
So I wanna just let you kind of visualize how Wi-Fi works, right?
- MRMel Robbins
Okay.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
You're connected, and let's say you go on Facebook, and you send a message to your friend. That message is literally, like, flying through cyberspace. Just imagine your own little tunnel. It's flying through the tunnel to your friend, right? The issue is when, when you're on open free w- Wi-Fi-
- MRMel Robbins
Yes
- CSCaitlin Sarian
... it's usually unencrypted, which means that anyone can go in and out of that tunnel and see what you're doing if they want to, if they know how to.
- MRMel Robbins
Okay.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
So-
- MRMel Robbins
So hold on. Let me just make sure I'm tracking.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah, yeah.
- MRMel Robbins
So if you're sitting at a airport-
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Mm-hmm
- MRMel Robbins
... and you've logged on to the free Wi-Fi.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Right.
- MRMel Robbins
Okay? And I'm texting my husband, who's back at our house, and I'm texting him something related to a bill that came in, and banking information, and, "Hey, I forgot my credit card."
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah.
- MRMel Robbins
"Could you send me a photo of the back of the card?" kind of thing. You're saying that since it's not encrypted, it's just floating through the Wi-Fi-
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Right
- MRMel Robbins
... if there's somebody that's really smart and knows how to get into those pipes, they can see the stuff?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yes, so-
- MRMel Robbins
What?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
So every time you do any data, like you do anything online-
- MRMel Robbins
I'm an idiot.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Well, the good thing is- [laughs]
- MRMel Robbins
[laughs] Like, I'm not-
- CSCaitlin Sarian
You're not an idiot.
- MRMel Robbins
Okay.
- 18:55 – 24:07
Password Security: Password Managers, Security Questions, & Notes App Risks
- MRMel Robbins
Um, one other thing as a cybersecurity expert that you never do, is you never save your logins in your notes or in your browser. Why?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Well, so for iPhone specifically, in your notes, it gets up- updated to iCloud, right? And if your iCloud gets hacked, which a lot of people have, like, hacked accounts, especially iClouds, if you're reusing your password, that means they have your passwords to every single thing. However, if you have a, a password for your notes, like, there's a new way now you can lock down your notes on your actual phone.
- MRMel Robbins
Oh!
- CSCaitlin Sarian
You can... Yeah, you can set a password or you can use your face ID, and it will, it will double lock it. So I would definitely do that.
- MRMel Robbins
Okay, I'm making a note right now-
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah
- MRMel Robbins
... that I just want [chuckles] a password on my notes.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
I would- again, see these little things, like, once you turn that on, you don't have to worry about it, right? Like, it's like little things where you're like, "Okay, I don't want people to have access to it, but I also want it easily accessible." I personally use a password manager. It, like, creates-
- MRMel Robbins
Like, what's a password manager?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
So there's, like, softwares that, like, help you create and store, like-
- MRMel Robbins
You mean like LastPass?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah.
- MRMel Robbins
Okay.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah, LastPass, uh, 1Password, Keeper Security. There- and then even iPhone has a password manager on the new phone.
- MRMel Robbins
Oh.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah, for free.
- MRMel Robbins
But that one's safe?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
That one, that one, that one is safe. As a cyber professional, I try to not have all my eggs in one basket-
- MRMel Robbins
Okay
- CSCaitlin Sarian
... and since I use iPhone all the time, I'm like, "Well, if they get into my iPhone somehow, I don't want them to also have my passwords." But it's still secure. I'd rather have you do that.
- MRMel Robbins
So is the password safe on your iPhone unlocked by your iPhone password?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
No. I think you can set a sep- separate account.
- MRMel Robbins
Okay, so that's how you would protect yourself?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah, yeah.
- MRMel Robbins
Okay, got it.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
I think it's a biometric thing on your phone, and unless they, like, obviously, if they steal your phone or they get into you, they are not gonna have your biometrics.
- MRMel Robbins
Why not use your browser?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Well-
- MRMel Robbins
Tell me about the danger of this, because I'm so lazy, and-
- CSCaitlin Sarian
The browser's not as bad
- 24:07 – 30:52
Common Cybersecurity Mistakes That Get You Hacked
- MRMel Robbins
expert, you always do the automatic software updates. Why?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yes, without a doubt. And the way that software updates work is usually the software has a hole in it, like a flaw, a vulnerability-
- MRMel Robbins
Okay
- CSCaitlin Sarian
... that hackers have been able to find, and the reason why a lot of software updates happen is to patch that hole. Say, like, "Hey, we just found out that someone got in doing this, so we're gonna patch that, and so they can't do that anymore."
- MRMel Robbins
Really?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah.
- MRMel Robbins
I thought that they were updates 'cause the software is getting better.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
... it could be both. But you can now find out what the software update's about. So I just think-
- MRMel Robbins
When they say, "fix bugs," they mean holes that hackers can-
- CSCaitlin Sarian
That's exactly what it is.
- MRMel Robbins
I'll be damned.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
And most of them, I would [chuckles] ... I don't know, I don't have the statistic, but I would- I honestly think that, like, 90% of software updates are to, to fix some type of bug or vulnerability. Because hackers are getting so much better, and, like, you're only as strong as your weakest link. There are always so many holes when you're building softwares, and so it's just better to... I mean, what's the-
- MRMel Robbins
Caitlin
- CSCaitlin Sarian
... what's the harm in having it auto-update? It- again, another thing, takes two seconds. Every time you download an app, just have it on auto-update. Not, not a big deal. Once you have that on, then you're good to go.
- MRMel Robbins
I'm the weakest link. That's what I'm realizing [laughing] in this conversation.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Everyone, everyone is the weakest link.
- MRMel Robbins
Oh, my God. Um-
- CSCaitlin Sarian
People are the problem, but they're also the solution.
- MRMel Robbins
Okay, and you're... I, I know we're gonna get to the solution.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah.
- MRMel Robbins
And as you're listening, if you're not panicking as much as I am-
- CSCaitlin Sarian
[chuckles]
- MRMel Robbins
... don't worry, I'm panicking for both of us, 'cause I've made every single mistake.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
But we all have.
- MRMel Robbins
It's true, and I-
- CSCaitlin Sarian
And we're all alive right now, so it's good, and now we learn from it.
- MRMel Robbins
That's true. And I consider myself to be somebody who is pretty savvy around tech, but I am not savvy around cyber c- security, is what I'm understanding. Here's one that I found fascinating.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah.
- MRMel Robbins
As a cybersecurity expert, you never plug your phone into a random charger.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yes. So there's this thing called juice jacking. So if you have, like... You know the USB plugs at the hotel where you can plug it in to charge your phone?
- 30:52 – 37:08
Common Payment App Scams & How to Avoid Them
- MRMel Robbins
what about, like, banking? Like, I've heard, like, if you get a weird, like, hit on your account for, like, a dollar or two dollars, that's somebody now penetrating a charge-
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah
- MRMel Robbins
- before they're gonna hit you big.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
So it's harder to do banking, because there's so many banking frauds out there. Like, I don't wanna tell you to do one thing when, like, you know, they do another thing. So for example, I don't wanna say, "Hey, you're never gonna get a text from the bank," 'cause a lot of people get text messages.
- MRMel Robbins
It's true.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
So if you're getting a weird message that you didn't anticipate, every single time I've ever gotten that, which it hasn't happened a lot, it's happened once, I immediately call my bank. I, like, go to my bank card, look at the back on the phone number, and get the phone number for my bank, and I call them immediately and say, "Hey, I don't know what's going on, I just wanna make sure..." 'Cause even the, the fake text messages, right?
- MRMel Robbins
Right, that you think, like-
- CSCaitlin Sarian
They look real
- MRMel Robbins
- threw into something. Look real.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
They look real. So any time... First of all, this is a separate thing. I never answer phone calls from people I don't know, and I- my voicemail has, does not have my name, it does not have a greeting. 'Cause if people are calling me, they know it's me. Hackers use that same thing, and they say, one, "Okay, we- we're confirming that that's her number now."
- MRMel Robbins
Oh.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
And two, they're getting your voice to potentially use for voice scams, or getting your voice to potentially use to authenticate you into banks. So they can record your greeting saying, "Yes" or "No," right? A lot of times if you answer the phone, and you're like... They say, "Hey, is this Caitlin?" And I say, "Yes," that yes can be used to authenticate into a banking phone. So these sound scary, again, but if you don't answer the phone for people that you don't know, and if you don't, like, have a voicemail, you're avoiding it.
- MRMel Robbins
It's so true.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
I don't know.
- MRMel Robbins
You know, there's so many of us, I'll- I'll speak for myself, and I'm sure as you're listening or you're watching this on YouTube right now, that you're doing nothing to protect yourself online, like you think you are.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Right.
- MRMel Robbins
But as I'm listening to this, I'm just thinking of the huge digital footprint of all the information, and the fact that they can then probably spider it to my son's information, and my daughter's information, and my husband's information, and my parents' information, and just, like, one giant family tree, it's now one giant [chuckles] -
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah
- MRMel Robbins
... digital footprint. You know, w- what do you say to someone like me and the person who's listening right now, who feels so overwhelmed-
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah
- MRMel Robbins
... by the idea of needing to protect themselves online?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
I would just say, like, again, if you start implementing these simple routines-
- MRMel Robbins
Uh-huh
- CSCaitlin Sarian
... you'll feel so much more empowered-
- MRMel Robbins
Okay
- CSCaitlin Sarian
... in the future. Like, it seems very difficult, but like I said, okay, so don't answer the phone, and don't have a voicemail. That's- that solves your problem right there. Done. Check that out. Do that for the w- the one thing for the week, and then you're move- next week, you can do something else. But it's just simple little things that you now know, that you're empowered with, like, that information, to go out and do it for yourself. Or if you wanna keep your voicemail, that's totally fine. Is it likely that, like, a hacker is really gonna use your name? I don't know, but I'm just trying to tell you what it is, and tell you how you can protect yourself.
- MRMel Robbins
I hear a lot about voice cloning scams, and as a family, we have a password, which I am not gonna say what it is, for the inevitable moment when there is a voice cloning scam that happens, so that you can say, "What's the password?"
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah.
- MRMel Robbins
If you feel like something's weird, and we have this weird, random word.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah.
- 37:08 – 38:04
What to Do After a Data Breach: Step-by-Step Damage Control
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah.
- MRMel Robbins
So you know how you hear on the news all the time, "Oh, there was a huge cyber breach at this store-
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Oh
- MRMel Robbins
... that store, the other store-
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yes
- MRMel Robbins
... this one-
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yes
- MRMel Robbins
... and all this customer data"? I hear that, I think, "Oh, I shop there," and then I do nothing.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah.
- MRMel Robbins
What should I do if I hear that there's been a big data breach, credit card information, at a massive retailer? It seems to be happening every other day now.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah.
- MRMel Robbins
What do you do as a customer?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
The first thing I would do is update your password immediately, and if it's a really key account, I would turn on multi-factor authentication, which means that you are signing in, not just with a password, but, like, a code that's sent to your phone or your email or your authenticator app. I'd prefer authenticator app, but we'll get back to that.
- MRMel Robbins
Okay.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Then, if it's, like, an Experian or type of, like, you know, any type of financial bank situation, they are gonna be sending you something in the mail to teach you what to do, and they also offer free credit monitoring for you. Sign up for that. It's free. Why not? The,
- 38:04 – 39:27
The Fastest Way to Stop Identity Theft
- CSCaitlin Sarian
the main thing I tell people, freeze your credit. Because the issue with those, like, breaches is identity theft. That's what most people are concerned about, is, "Oh, my gosh, I'm gonna have identity theft if my Social Security number and my name and all my information's out there." But they can't c- commit identity theft if they can't open any accounts in your name, and they won't be able to open accounts in your name if you freeze your credit.
- MRMel Robbins
So hold on a second.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah.
- MRMel Robbins
So if you don't need to take out a loan, and if you don't need to, uh-
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Open a credit card
- MRMel Robbins
... open a new credit card, then you don't need open credit?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Correct.
- MRMel Robbins
You can freeze it?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah, and it's very easy. It takes, like-
- MRMel Robbins
And it-
- CSCaitlin Sarian
There's three credit-
- MRMel Robbins
And the credit card companies don't ding you if you do that?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
No, no.
- MRMel Robbins
Really?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
No.
- MRMel Robbins
Oh, I didn't know-
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah
- MRMel Robbins
... that was a thing.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
There's three credit bureaus. It's takes maybe 5 to 10 minutes for each bureau. Call them or email them. You can freeze your credit, and then you just open it when you need it, and I tell people to do that with their grandparents or parents all the time-
- MRMel Robbins
Oh, that's a great idea
- CSCaitlin Sarian
... because then you'll never know if someone is, you know, s- using your parents' information to, to create accounts until it's too late.
- MRMel Robbins
Let's talk about seniors-
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Okay
- MRMel Robbins
... because there's so many listeners that have elderly parents or concerned about their grandparents, and we recently had a very scary issue with scamming related to my mother-in-law, and they almost got in.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Mm.
- MRMel Robbins
Almost.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah.
- MRMel Robbins
And she would've been... All of it gone. All of her savings gone, all of her retirement gone,
- 39:27 – 41:00
How to Protect Seniors From Online Scams
- MRMel Robbins
everything. Um, how can the person listening help protect their parents from online scams?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah. So I would first start with freezing their credit, and I would also start, again, a similar communicating, right? Like, there are these scams out there. Like, I go to my grandma and I say, "Grandma, these are the rec- most recent scams, right? Like, someone's calling and pretending they're the police-
- MRMel Robbins
Mm
- CSCaitlin Sarian
... they're gonna try to call you. Someone's calling and pretending to be X, Y, Z. If they ever ask you to send money, immediately hang up, and even if they think- if you think, 'Oh, this could be true,' I want you to hang up and call this fraud helpline number." So there's actually a fraud helpline number that can walk you through... Like, you could technically have two phones if you want to, and you can be on the phone with the fraud helpline number, and they can walk you through what you need to do. You're right.
- MRMel Robbins
But I think we should go to their house and sit on their laptop and their computer and do the settings that you've talked about.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah, multi-factor authentication, make sure their passwords are updated, like, m- specifically banks, um, you know, 401 [k] , all their, like, retirement savings, all that. Like, make sure that is a very strong and unique password, and then turn on multi-factor authentication, and if you're a caretaker, taker for her, maybe have it go to your phone. Don't have it go to her phone, 'cause if you're getting a, an, a, a authentication code, you can call your mom and say, "Why are you trying to get into your bank?"
- MRMel Robbins
Mm. Mm-hmm. Great, and I know, um, that there's a person listening or watching right now who is thinking, "I gotta protect my kids." So what are the non-negotiable settings?
- 41:00 – 42:53
Kids Online Safety Tools: How to Protect Your Children Online
- MRMel Robbins
Every single parent, every grandparent, everyone who- if you're listening right now and you have friends who have kids, send this episode to them. What are the non-negotiables that every parent needs to check on their phone and their child's phone tonight?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yes, so for your child's phone, I would make sure that you're on the child- a child account. Like, Instagram, YouTube, they all have children's accounts, right? So if you're under a certain-
- MRMel Robbins
I don't know. They do?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah.
- MRMel Robbins
Okay.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
If you're under a certain age, you can turn on that child's account. You can also block messages. I would immediately block messages. It's just-
- MRMel Robbins
Okay, so block messages.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah, if you're on a ch- a child's account, it doesn't- I don't think you can get messages from most of the accounts.
- MRMel Robbins
Okay.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
But the- to me, the thing is open communication, and it sounds really, really lame, but if your child knows, like, "Hey, there are a lot of scammers out there, and, like, don't worry, but if something feels off, just come to me and talk to me, because this happens to so many people," like, they're not gonna come to you if you make this seem dark and scary and that they think they did something bad. But they will come to you if you have an open line of communication, saying, "I'm- like, wanna protect you. I want you to have fun online, but I also want you to know that these things are happening."
- MRMel Robbins
So when you are the parent, and you're checking the phone, and you're looking at the apps, what are we turning off on the apps?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah. Make sure their apps are locked down on private mode.
- MRMel Robbins
Okay.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Like, no kid should have an open Instagram account. You should only be adding your friends, and friends that you have actually physically met in person and that you go to school with or you met at a party or whatever it is. Um, then I would make sure that you can't message. Um, there's a lot of issues with, like, Roblox and, like, kids gaming, too, that, like, people are messaging that are, like, adults that are, like, grooming children. And so I would just make sure that you're- you can't message, you turn on private, uh, private mode, and you turn on kids' settings. I personally wouldn't allow kids to have, like, Snapchat.... because they think that message disappears. Nothing disappears on the internet. Nothing goes away. Even if it disappears, it doesn't go away, and people
- 42:53 – 44:48
Sextortion Help: What to Do + Where to Report Online Crimes
- CSCaitlin Sarian
can screenshot it. Don't ever send anything that you wouldn't want, like, me as your parent to see, or your grandparents, or whoever else. I had a friend who is really into cyber, obviously, and her nephew was, like, going to the Olympics, like, world-class athlete in high school, like, went to the Junior Olympics. Met someone online that s- you know, a cute girl that added him on social media. She said that she went to a town across. She, like, had mutual friends-
- MRMel Robbins
Yeah
- CSCaitlin Sarian
... 'cause she had added his other friend, so he, she thought it was mutual, and they just started talking. They never had a call with each other, but they were talking for, like, three or four months, and she sent him a photo of herself, and he then shared a photo because they thought she... He really thought he was, was with her.
- MRMel Robbins
Right.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
And it- sextortion scams are on the rise, and s- and it's really, really rampant in, in teenage boys or younger. And they specifically target boys because they know that they're a little bit more willy-nilly when it comes to private photos. But there's two reasons why they do that, right? The first is, they want money. So they were basically extorting him for money, saying, "I'm gonna leak all these photos of you, and you're never gonna have a career-
- MRMel Robbins
Mm
- CSCaitlin Sarian
... and/or be an Olympian, because I have all these private photos of you, and I want money." Or they say, "Continue to give me more photos," because those photos will then be used for another scam. After a little bit of time, he shared it with his, um, aunt, who is in cyber and was able to fix it, but there is a really good resource out there.
- MRMel Robbins
What did she do, call the police?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
She knew a lot of people in the FBI. But there is an FBI resource that is free for everyone. So it's called the Internet Crimes Complaint Center, so ic3.gov. IC3, the number 3, .gov, and it is help- like, it can help anyone, um, for any internet crime.
- MRMel Robbins
What
- 44:48 – 46:32
What to Do Immediately If Your Phone Is Stolen
- MRMel Robbins
is the first thing you should do the moment your phone is lost or stolen?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
So I would actually preface that you should do this before you lose your phone.
- MRMel Robbins
Okay, what am I doing?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
So I would turn off the ability to turn on airplane mode when you swipe down.
- MRMel Robbins
Wait, what?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
So you know how you can turn on airplane mode, and there's, like, an... You can easily do it if you, like, swipe down.
- MRMel Robbins
Oh, yeah, you swipe down-
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Control Center
- MRMel Robbins
... and you get airplane? Okay.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Because the first thing that, um, like, robbers do, is they immediately put on airplane mode so you can't track the phone. But if they can't do that because your phone's locked, then the only way they can do anything is to just turn it off, and they're gonna have to eventually turn it back on. So I don't have the airplane mode so easily available on my phone. I-
- MRMel Robbins
Where do you go to do that?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
You can, um, if you, like, scroll down to the control center, you hold it down, and it, the, like, starts moving, similar to, like, when you move apps.
- MRMel Robbins
Oh, yeah!
- CSCaitlin Sarian
You can do the same thing on your control center.
- MRMel Robbins
You can?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah.
- MRMel Robbins
And then you just delete it?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
You can access it. Yeah.
- MRMel Robbins
And though, that way you have to go and manually do it.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah.
- MRMel Robbins
Okay.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Then you just go to settings. Like, when next time you're on a plane, you just go to settings-
- MRMel Robbins
Oh, my gosh
- CSCaitlin Sarian
... airplane mode and turn it on.
- MRMel Robbins
Okay. I can do this.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah.
- MRMel Robbins
And I'm going to do this. I, I personally feel that this is an issue whether somebody has lost their phone-
- CSCaitlin Sarian
That's true
- MRMel Robbins
... whether somebody has had their phone stolen-
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yes
- 46:32 – 51:22
The Risk of Wearable Technology
- MRMel Robbins
what do you f- as a s- cybersecurity expert, what do you think about wearable technology?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
So this is definitely, like... [sighs] Everything is a risk, right, online. Everything that you do is a risk, and you have to choose whether you want that risk or not, and I'm gonna give you a little bit of an example of how AI is working out right now with all the data. So we have a ton of data on everyone, right? And by we, I mean, like, the government, any of the apps that you use. Like, I used to use a wearable ring that was tracking, you know, my fertility, my sleep patterns, my stress levels. But can you imagine plugging all that into an AI and how much that would actually know about me? I personally don't feel comfortable giving that information to other people. However, my boyfriend swears by his ring, and he doesn't care. So again, this is a risk-based approach. Every company has a privacy policy, legally, and that privacy policy states what data they're collecting from you, who they're sharing it with, what they're using it for, and why they're collecting it. So what I usually do is I take that privacy policy, I actually throw it into ChatGPT or Gemini or Perplexity or whatever, and I say, "Hey, can you please tell me, like, the high-level issues that, like, might come about? Like, what are they collecting?" 'Cause it's a very legal policy, so it's hard to read.
- MRMel Robbins
Yes.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
It's, like, made by lawyers. It's... And it's meant, honestly, to confuse you. It is meant to confuse you. They don't want you to know all the stuff that they're doing with your data. So I just throw it in, and then I'm like, "Okay, they're only collecting this, this, and this." I feel more comfortable. But with wearables, they're really collecting a lot about you as a human being, and sometimes I just don't want that.
- MRMel Robbins
So if I take a privacy statement-
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yes
- MRMel Robbins
... which I think I'm probably, like, 99.9% of people, it's like, accept all, okay, move on-
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah
- MRMel Robbins
... let me do the thing I was here for.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Right.
- MRMel Robbins
And I were to throw it into Microsoft Copilot.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Right.
- MRMel Robbins
And that's the platform I trust, and it gives me a summary-
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Mm-hmm
- MRMel Robbins
... of what this is, what I'm giving permission for this company to do. What are the things I'm looking for? Because I would imagine there's, there's language, as a former lawyer-
- CSCaitlin Sarian
I know
- MRMel Robbins
... there's language that's like, "Blah, blah, blah, third party, blah, blah, blah," and then it's just sort of buried in there. What are you looking for that is a red flag as a cybersecurity expert?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah, so I'm looking at the types of data-... that they're collecting. So if they're taking, like, biometric data or they're taking, like, really specific- if it's just, like, a name and an email, go for it, you know? But if they're taking-
- MRMel Robbins
Well, 'cause it's fake, the one that-
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Right
- MRMel Robbins
... you gave them, 'cause you're no dummy-
- CSCaitlin Sarian
No, it's not me
- MRMel Robbins
... like I am. Okay, you're like, "You can have my alias."
- CSCaitlin Sarian
[chuckles]
- MRMel Robbins
"Go for it!"
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Exactly. Um, but if they're taking, like, you know, my, like, menstruation data and my sleep data, or like, for biometrics or anything like that, I'm like, "Okay, why are you taking it?" And it'll- so I ask, "What data are you collecting? Why are you taking it, and who are you sharing it with?" That is a big thing. So I'm very concerned with who they're sharing it with. Why do they need to share it with these people? I don't know. Maybe it's for tr- like, you know, metrics, sta- statistics. I have no idea, but some of the, like, recent, like, wearables have been sharing with companies that I don't want to be shared with. So if it's really sensitive data, like your health history, um, nationalities, I would just prefer not to have it, and then if they're sharing it with interesting companies, like, why are they sharing it with XYZ?
- MRMel Robbins
Well, I'm sitting here thinking about the fact that just about everything that I use is now somehow connected to the internet.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah.
- MRMel Robbins
Whether it is the pad that I'm sleeping on-
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Mm-hmm
- 51:22 – 54:21
3 Privacy Settings to Check in Your Apps (Do This Now)
- MRMel Robbins
that's sort of like what happened with Instagram.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah.
- MRMel Robbins
Instagram did that update where all of a sudden, everybody's locations were live-
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah
- MRMel Robbins
... and there was a flurry of texting all day long. And if you don't know about this, please check your Instagram right now, where it just suddenly opted us all in.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
And it was crazy because it was every time you opened up Instagram, it was re-sharing exactly where you were to the precise location if you had precise location turned on on Instagram, which I would say probably 90% of the people do. Um-
- MRMel Robbins
90% of people have precise location turned on?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Well, it's automatic. When you download Instagram, it's automatically on.
- MRMel Robbins
Wow!
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Unless you go into the settings, which I made a few videos, like to say, like, "Hey, only, like, limit, limit access or don't allow at all."
- MRMel Robbins
So is one of the things that we should do is to take a day and go through every app that we've downloaded and all the settings and look at the privacy and the data settings on those things?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yes, those... There's three things that you wanna look at: Does it have access to your camera? Does it have access to your microphone, and does it have access to your location? All three of those things, if it doesn't need it, turn it off. And I again-
- MRMel Robbins
Well, why would it need it?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Well-
- MRMel Robbins
If you're using it-
- CSCaitlin Sarian
You'd be surprised
- MRMel Robbins
... if you're using it-
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah
- MRMel Robbins
... yes. But if not, no, so what should the setting be? Only while using the app, never, once?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Um, it just depends on what your preference is, right? So for example, I ordered Uber Eats last night, and they delivered the wrong thing, and my manager got my phone and was like, "Don't worry, I'm gonna return it for you," and she went, "And you have to take a picture of the wrong thing," right? And she's like, "Oh, you don't have... You, you didn't give it access," 'cause I don't need Uber Eats to have access to my camera roll or my pictures or my camera, right, or my microphone. So she allowed- she limited access to the one photo that she took, and she put that photo on, and she took a picture, and we went off. But for me, I'm like, I don't think Uber Eats needs to have access to anything, ever. And if I need to add a picture randomly, you can allow access to one photo.
- MRMel Robbins
Wait, so are you saying that if you have an app on your phone-
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah
- MRMel Robbins
... and like I have, where I've given Instagram or whatever access to, like, my photo library, that it can be in the background scanning my photos?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Oh, it's not can be, it is.
- MRMel Robbins
What?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok have new features in the last, like, two months, where they are scanning the camera roll that you have not posted to give you ideas on how to generate fun reel or post ideas. Because they're trying to get you on the platform to post more, right? So they're literally, if you gave them access to your whole camera roll, they're scanning it, and they're putting together their own version of a potential reel that you might wanna post after your trip to Boston.
- MRMel Robbins
Whoa.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah.
- MRMel Robbins
So we prevent that by saying...
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Limit access?
- 54:21 – 58:31
Facial Recognition Explained: How It Works & Privacy Risks
- CSCaitlin Sarian
app.
- MRMel Robbins
What about facial recognition software? As a cybersecurity expert, what do we need to know about facial recognition software?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yes, so unfortunately, a lot of facial recognition software is, um, unavoidable nowadays.
- MRMel Robbins
Uh-huh.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Like, you're walking through the airport, and they're scanning your face. I mean, you have to go through-
- MRMel Robbins
They are?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
... TSA PreCheck.
- MRMel Robbins
Oh, that's right, they are.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah, I mean-
- MRMel Robbins
Okay, you're right. [chuckles]
- CSCaitlin Sarian
And even in-
- MRMel Robbins
Like, [chuckles] like, where are they scan-
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Every camera.
- MRMel Robbins
Well, actually, I wonder because, like, you know, I'm looking up... I don't have them in here, but I'm, I'm looking up, and there's security cameras everywhere-
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah
- MRMel Robbins
... you go.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
So there's biometric tracking and facial scanning pretty much everywhere, and-... I have a concern, one, because biometric is, like, very unique to you, right? Like, your eyes are, it's like a fingerprint.
- MRMel Robbins
Mm-hmm.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Your eyes and fingerprint, your face shape is very, very unique to you, and you can't fix it, right? I mean, you might be able to fix face shape with [chuckles] certain things, but you can't change your eyes that much, definitely can't change your fingerprint. And so my concern is TSA has our biometric ID, right? Global Entry has our biometric ID.
- MRMel Robbins
Right.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Anything is hackable. In my head, anything is hackable. So what happens when people start getting that information? Um, and then the other thing is, our phones, from a marketing perspective, are tr- are gonna start tracking our eye placements. So my concern is, you know how smart AI is, right? Like, if you, if you've been using AI, if anyone here has used AI, if you type in, like, "Hey, what do you know about me?" It gives, like, a whole summary of exactly who you are to a T. Now, I want you to imagine, like, someone on the other side of the screen, when you're, like, doom scrolling and late at night, and you're watching what you preferably like to watch, it's analyzing every single thing about you. It's analyzing where you're looking, who you're looking at, how long you're staying on this video. It's analyzing the psychology behind what you're watching and understanding who you are as an individual. Hopefully, it's gonna start doing better ads, that's what they're saying, right? But who knows what that information can be used for. And so I recently [chuckles] ... You know, it sounds a little scary. I recently partnered with a company that has... It kind of shields you from biometric and, um, surveillance, and it, it's UVA and UVB and blue light blocking. But, um, it really-
- MRMel Robbins
Okay, so wait, these are blue blocker, red, like... Well, well, these kind of have like a pink thing to them.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah, they're, like, also, like, it's, it's an infrared screen. So the way that, um, surveillance works is usually through infrared technology. So because there's, like, an infrared kind of shielding-
- MRMel Robbins
I even had these made for my prescription.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yes.
- MRMel Robbins
This is pretty cool.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah.
- MRMel Robbins
Okay.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Because there's, like, a kind of shielding on it-
- MRMel Robbins
Yeah
- 58:31 – 1:04:47
Can Home Security Systems & Cameras Be Hacked?
- MRMel Robbins
Amazing. You have some shocking news about cameras. Cameras on your laptop, doorbell cameras, baby cameras.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah.
- MRMel Robbins
Uh-oh.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
So this is not to scare you, it's to empower you. So there are two ways that people get into these cameras, right? One is, again, if you're reusing passwords, which everyone does, so don't be a bit embarrassed by it, but take this as a sign to be like, "Okay, maybe I shouldn't have the same password for my baby monitor as my Facebook account." Because if you're reusing passwords, they just have to get in, and they just mess with you, and they can, like, talk through the camera, they can watch the camera. So-
- MRMel Robbins
Oh, my God!
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah, they can watch. There's also a site, there's multiple sites, actually, that show every single camera that's on an open network.
- MRMel Robbins
Wait, what does that mean?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
They can literally log into cameras that are, like, on open, unsecure Wi-Fis.
- MRMel Robbins
So-
- CSCaitlin Sarian
So if you have a camera, and you're on an open Wi-Fi, and they, like, somehow decide to connect to the one W- like, the IP address that you're sitting on, they will be able to turn on your camera.
- MRMel Robbins
Whoa.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah.
- MRMel Robbins
Just trying to, like-
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Process
- MRMel Robbins
... process this.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah, yeah.
- MRMel Robbins
Because you're saying that somebody can hack into my laptop if I'm on an open network, and they can-
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Turn on your-
- MRMel Robbins
... be viewing, turn on my camera on my laptop and be watching me?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
I had an old boss that literally had... He didn't have a, a camera cover on his camera, this was, like, five years ago, and someone had taken pictures. Like, he would change in front of his computer, and someone had taken pictures of him and, like, sent him an email being like, "We kn- like, we have some really vulgar pictures of you that we're gonna release," and he was, like, pretty high up in the company that I was working for, and he didn't care. He was like, "Whatever, release them." But, like, people can turn it on and off, your camera, if they want to. I just would be... I- Just put on a camera cover.
- MRMel Robbins
What is a camera cover?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
There's, like, little covers that you can buy, literally for $3 on Amazon, and you just, like, s- cover it when you're not using it. That prevents it. Obviously, they won't be able to see anything. And also, just be mindful of where you're connecting.
- MRMel Robbins
And-
- CSCaitlin Sarian
He traveled a lot for work, too, so he-
- MRMel Robbins
And so this can, this can happen to your doorbell, it can happen to your baby monitor, it can happen to any camera you have?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah. Yeah, there was someone that follows me that someone hacked into their baby monitor, but it was because they reused an old password that was leaked. They heard voices in the baby monitor of some random guy talking to the baby.
- MRMel Robbins
That's terrifying.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah, it's... It was awful.... but again, passwords.
- MRMel Robbins
Passwords.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
[chuckles] Passwords are so important.
- 1:04:47 – 1:13:42
5 Essential Online Safety Tips to Prevent Hacking & Scams
- MRMel Robbins
are the five things that really will protect you online. What are those five things?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Passwords. We've talked about that a lot. Tonight, go and write down, "These are the accounts that I don't want anyone getting access to. These are my key accounts," and you'll start thinking about more and more as you move on throughout your day, what apps do you not want people a- uh, have access to, what banks, social media, all of that. So identify your key accounts and make sure that you have strong and unique passwords for all of them.
- MRMel Robbins
Okay.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
No reusing of the same passwords, no reusing of the same base password. Have strong passwords.
- MRMel Robbins
Okay.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
So for those of you guys that aren't, like, m- myself or Mel, 'cause you're traveling all the time probably, too, I would... If you're at home using a desktop for, like, my parents, right? I'm like, "Please, Mom, I'm gonna get you a book. We'll, we'll put it in the locked cabinet right next to your computer, and you just pull it out when you're on your computer, and you can use it." That way, you can actually remember and write down your strong passwords. For the people that are always on the go, yeah, like, have a, a unique passphrase or whatever you think you need to remember that, like, longer password. When it says, "Oh, remember this," usually it's on a phone, and that's just remember- it's a password manager on the iPhone.
- MRMel Robbins
Mm, okay.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
So you can do that. That's still a password manager. I use a password manager myself. I love it. I swear by it. Or on your Notes, and just lock it.
- MRMel Robbins
So that's number one.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yes.
- MRMel Robbins
So once we got the password set, what's the second thing we're doing?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Software updates. Automatically, right when you download the app, just turn it on.
- MRMel Robbins
Okay, because software updates, as a cybersecurity expert, you're saying when it says, "Ooh, fixed bugs, make more optimized," they're actually solving and fixing where the hackers broke in.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yes.
- MRMel Robbins
So automatic software updates on all apps, I got that. What's the third thing I'm doing?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
The third thing you are gonna do is freeze your credit.
- MRMel Robbins
Freeze your credit.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Super simple. That's, like, that's, like, a one-and-done thing. You can do that tonight.
- MRMel Robbins
Okay.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah.
- MRMel Robbins
Because then if you've frozen your credit, 'cause you're not taking out any loans, you're not opening up new credits, that means nobody else can either.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Right.
- MRMel Robbins
Oh, I love that. Okay.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Can't have identity theft, unless you give them, like, extra passwords and stuff with this type of thing.
- MRMel Robbins
Okay, so fourth thing I'm doing?
- CSCaitlin Sarian
The fourth thing you are doing is taking nine seconds before you click on any link.
- MRMel Robbins
Ooh, nine seconds.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Yeah. There's psy- psychology, um, about the nine seconds, so give- it's just enough time for you to, like, take a deep breath, think, and realize, like, where you are.... so I didn't do the psychology aspect of it, but that's [chuckles] the nonprofit did. So take nine seconds, and I, I always just say, "Just don't click on links." I know that that is not, like, as easy for most people, but take nine seconds before you click on any link, and if there's an option for you to just call, I would call.
- MRMel Robbins
Well, and also in those nine seconds, you can look at the email address.
- CSCaitlin Sarian
Exactly. You can look at a lot of things.
Episode duration: 1:13:42
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