Every year as the weather starts to warm, brooms across the country are prepped for annual spring cleanings. With a majority of folks at home during this unprecedented time, take a moment to clear your browser. What most people don’t realize is that your digital life is vulnerable to clutter, too.

In a study conducted by Risk Based Security, there were over 3,800 publicly disclosed data breaches that exposed 4.1 billion records in the first six months of 2019 alone. In this digital age, spring cleaning should be about more than just purging homes; it should be about cleansing your digital footprint as well to ensure your personal information is organized and safe.

Many people are unaware of the importance of a digital cleanup, while others avoid tidying their cyberspace because they don’t fully comprehend all the harmful effects a disorganized digital presence can have. Cluttered devices and outdated profiles are all signs of a security breach waiting to happen. By following a few easy steps, everyone can take solace in knowing that their digital life is clean, secure and at less risk.

Empty The Trash

An easy first step is to literally take out the trash: Empty your desktop recycling bin. Nothing you delete is permanently gone until you’ve done so. All those old documents, embarrassing photos, and programs you no longer use are still lingering on your hard drive, taking up space and putting you at risk of old files resurfacing. It’s important to remember that once you’ve taken the time to clean out old files and downloads, always trash the trash.

Declutter Mobile Devices

Have you ever downloaded a seemingly “cool” app that you ended up using only once? Make sure you delete all those unused apps that are taking up space on your mobile devices. Most likely you were prompted to provide personal information upon downloading the app, and now that information is sitting on your device, at risk of being compromised. In addition to deleting unused apps, it’s important to make sure that the apps you do use are up to date, as outdated apps are at risk for malware and viruses.

The security settings you agreed to when you set up your Facebook account in 2005 are likely extremely outdated. Take the time to review privacy and security settings on all your social media accounts and online profiles to make sure you are comfortable with how much you are actually sharing and with whom. Having your location services turned on for all your accounts or apps is a decision you may have made years ago, but it may be time to reconsider. Do your acquaintances from college need to see all your family photos? What you’re making for dinner? Consider reviewing your list of friends to make sure everyone still belongs.

Minimize Your Online Accounts

With the rise of e-commerce and online shopping, it’s likely that you’ve ordered items from websites you no longer frequent. Unfortunately, that means that your credit card and other personal information may still be floating around in cyberspace. Make sure you delete any online accounts that you don’t actively use to minimize the odds of having your personal details be part of a data hack. Remove saved personal information in accounts that you don’t use on a regular basis, including credit or debit card details and addresses.

Use Unique Passwords 

While remembering different passwords for a seemingly endless variety of personal or business accounts may feel tedious, it could be what saves you from identity theft. Using the same password for all your accounts makes it easier for hackers to access your personal information and your accounts. Consider using a password manager to store and protect all your unique passwords, and in an effort to keep your accounts even more secure, look into using multifactor authentication (also known as two-step verification) on critical accounts such as your email and banking accounts.

Dispose Of Old Electronics

When you finally get the newest device on the market that you’ve been eyeballing, don’t forget to properly clear out and dispose of your old one. Any device with the ability to store information can retain your data long after you deleted it. This includes mobile phones, copiers, printers, scanners and networking equipment such as Wi-Fi routers. It’s important to thoroughly wipe all electronics by clearing the data or consult with a trusted professional to help you properly and securely dispose of the device.

Tune Up Your Browser

It’s easy to forget about the cookies that store bits of your information within your browser as you surf the web. Moving forward, make a conscious effort to check your browser settings on a regular basis to ensure they’re configured to perform automatic updates. Also, consistently clear out your browsing history, and avoid using autofill to store passwords when possible.

Staying healthy during this time means washing your hands and taking precautions. But staying safe online can be simple when you remember to clean your data as often as you clear out your closet to stay as protected as possible in this digital age!

National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NSCAM) has been an annual fixture since October 2003. The goal of the last 16 years has been to raise awareness of the importance of security when it comes to your digital data, and today, that message is more important than ever.

Endless studies and reports are exposing our highly digital consumption habits. A 2019 report from Hootsuite and We Are Social shows we’re spending on average of six and a half hours online each day. Half of that is spent on mobile devices.

We’re spending more time online than ever before. We shop more online, spend more time on social media and do more of our financial and regulatory business online, too. Most of us use banking apps, file taxes online and share images of family, friends, holidays and almost every aspect of life on social media.

Online accounts for our grocery stores, video streaming and a hundred other things all add up, and the result is a huge amount of information about our personal lives out there in the digital world. At the time, how many of us think about entering names, dates of birth and other information when we are asked? It’s easy to put out there, and this is why cybersecurity awareness is so important — not just in October, but all year long.

Own it; secure it; protect it

“Own it; secure it; protect it” was the theme of this year’s NSCAM, with the focus on individual privacy, consumer devices and e-commerce security. All are areas that are increasingly under threat, especially as we approach the holidays, when e-commerce is even more popular.

Despite the increased threat, cybersecurity remains an afterthought for far too many. At a time when we, as a country, are spending more time on mobile devices than TV, the sheer amount of digital data out there about every one of us should make us stop and think. Yet, we are often unaware of the risks posed, never mind what the consequences might be. There are various common areas of attack that are increasingly in use today.

Cloud databases make life easier for us all, with images and messages uploaded to the cloud for easy access. But they are also a significant vulnerability. If you hear in the news that a celebrity had their phone hacked, what likely happened is their cloud storage was hacked, giving the hacker access to all their photos, messages and other data.

Another common threat you will often hear about is a data breach. In this case, a business’s databases or servers are compromised, giving criminals access to everything contained within. That could be your shopping history, credit card numbers and so on. And it happens with alarming regularity.

But that’s not all — biometric data often gives us a false sense of security, but systems are not as secure as we may think. Artificial intelligence (AI) has become so powerful that not only passwords but fingerprints or face detection may be bypassed. With AI quickly growing in sophistication, we must accept that soon, hackers will have access to tools that can overcome these kinds of locks on our devices and data.

What can we do?

The threefold idea behind this year’s theme helps individuals and businesses understand the risks they face and the often-simple solutions that can make all the difference:

• Own it: Update privacy settings to keep your data secure. Know which apps are running to ensure you always know where your data is going. Additionally, stay safe on social media by watching what is shared and with whom.

• Secure it: Create strong, secure passphrases — ideally, a different one for each account. Use multifactor authorization whenever possible, and always watch for phishing attacks. Never click on a link without first checking the sender.

• Protect it: Always protect whenever you connect. Have up-to-date security software on your devices, and be careful with public Wi-Fi. For businesses, always maintain adequate safety protocols for customer data.

To ensure these ideas are acted upon, it is up to us to spread the message and raise awareness. Whether individuals, businesses or government bodies, we must all act. Tell others; raise awareness, and put these ideas into practice yourself. If you are unsure about a site, double-check before handing over your data, and consider cybersecurity software for additional peace of mind.

Conclusion

Staying secure in the digital world shouldn’t be an afterthought. The more we rely on digital solutions for almost every aspect of life, the more vulnerable we become to cyberthreats. NCSAM is a timely reminder that we should all be more aware of that vulnerability and of both the threats and the things we can do to minimize them.

 

Click here to read Forbes article.

NEW YORK, NY   — Award-winning branding and advertising agency Circus Maximus has created a distinctly human brand identity for tech company Aura, a digital-security brand that launched this month. Aura’s offering pairs intelligent-scanning antivirus software with an advanced data-enabled technology that uses artificial intelligence to monitor, manage and protect sensitive information.

Aura is a one-stop shop of integrated products that provides enterprise-grade security solutions. Intrusta and Identity Guard’s cybersecurity and identity-theft products give consumers a halo of protection, so they can enjoy the benefits of technology without fear. Aura is a combined business entity formed by iSubscribed and Intersections Inc with partners WndrCo and General Catalyst.

While most cyber-security brands favor a dark, scary vision and a high-tech Matrix message, Aura is treating people like…people. The company’s mission is to pioneer digital freedom for all and enable people to enjoy the benefits of technology simply and without fear. Aura’s brand principles include “caring,” “human,” “candid” and “vigilant.”

Circus Maximus created the naming, branding, website, and other materials—from the typography, color palette, logos, imagery and other assets detailed in the brand style guide to the corporate website where consumers can view Aura’s security services—to complement the brand’s goal of “simplifying digital security for our modern lives.”

The color scheme (Sunrise, Nightshade, Peach and Gradient) is warm, natural and accessible with crisp typefaces that are professional yet friendly. The website’s pages are airy—there’s plenty of white space and the language isn’t too lofty. Images show happy, secure and diverse families enjoying the digital world and Aura officemates working to protect consumers from the threat of cyber-security breaches.

Aura uses adaptive technology, so its easy-to-use interface learns from the user to continually improve security and the experience. Its near real-time alerts inform customers, so they can act quickly if their personal information is breached.

Circus Maximus also created the tagline for Aura: “Your Digital Halo.”

“We know that finding and articulating a brand’s empathy is the key to their consumer appeal, and long-term success,” said Ryan Kutscher, Circus Maximus founder and chief creative officer. “Aura represents how we implement that process in a category that falls into the trapping of fear tactics all too easily. We’re excited for the wonderful team at Aura as they launch this unique brand.”

Aura provides a host of personal-identity protection offerings, including monthly credit scores and annual credit reports with information from Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, social media insights, dark web monitoring, bank account takeover alerts, cyberbullying alerts and intelligent antivirus scanning.

“Technology has become an ever-increasing presence in our lives,” said Hari Ravichandran, CEO and founder of Aura. “Aura is the digital halo that empowers people with tools, data, notifications, knowledge and relentless customer service to help them use their technology and devices freely.”

 

About Circus Maximus

An award-winning, top branding and advertising agency based in NYC. We build innovative, results-driven brands that consumers actively seek out. For more information, visit circusmaximus.com.

About Aura

Aura™ is a technology company dedicated to simplifying digital security for consumers. Committed to creating a unified platform of services, Aura uses adaptive technology to enable customers to manage disparate cybersecurity needs with ease. Innovative personal identity protection products such as Identity Guard and technology services including Intrusta antivirus are part of the Aura family. Trusted by more than 1 million customers, Aura is the digital halo that provides real-time peace of mind. For more information about Aura, visit: www.auracompany.com.

IBM’s Oliver Blodgett, World Surf League co-owner Paul Speaker, Axispoint founder Scott Powell join investment and management team.

Props, the first holistic marketing technology platform for authentic content creators and marketers, launched today while announcing its leadership team, investors, and advisors.

Coinciding with the launch is the completion of $5.5 million in investment capital, according to president and CEO Joseph Perello. Investors include Paul Speaker, the co-owner and former CEO of the World Surf League; Hari Ravichandran, founder of the technology conglomerate Endurance and now the CEO and Founder of Jump Ventures, a scalability infusion firm that invests to drive exponential growth; and Axispoint, a technology development firm specializing in content and blockchain applications.

Props is the only integrated technology platform that merges original, meaningful content with leading-edge AI. Leveraging IBM Watson, brands align with relevant, independent content creators to publish, share, boost, promote, measure and optimize authentic content. Stories are seamlessly distributed to both creators’ and brands’ native media channels, shared and boosted on their social media feeds, and promoted through digital ad networks and search.

Props is definitively not an “influencer” platform. It is designed to support and extend the reach and prominence of real content creators who meet three important criteria: 1) they are professional storytellers (writers, photographers, filmmakers, and podcasters) with a track record of making compelling content; 2) they are subject-matter experts who are dedicated to their field of passion; and 3) they have naturally enrolled a set of devoted followers who trust their expertise.

Props is led by Joseph Perello, formerly the first CMO of the City of New York, appointed by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. Joe was VP of Business Development for the New York Yankees, a principal in David Bowie’s internet venture, UltraStar, and the co-founder of a NYC-based digital agency.

“Central to Props is respect,” explains Perello. “Respect for the relationship between creators and their followers. Respect for brands, who seek to become what people are passionate about, instead of interrupting their passions. And respect for the integrity of the content – that it was made from a place of authenticity – not contrived, forced or manipulated.”

Head of Product at Props is Mary Aldon. An artist and one of the first team members at Props, Mary is an advocate for creating authentic connections between brands and professional creators. Previously, Mary led enterprise-wide marketing technology implementations at Interbrand and Siegel + Gale.

Joining Perello and Aldon on the Props management team are:

Oliver Blodgett, Head of Artificial Intelligence: Blodgett was previously an executive with IBM Watson. After spending the last five years working to commercialize IBM’s innovative and leading-edge artificial intelligence platform, he joined Props, both as an investor and as the company’s technology and AI leader. Oliver will oversee the implementation of AI and other technologies into the Props platform, and help brands and creators leverage the deep insights into content performance uncovered by Props and Watson.

Scott Powell, Head of Development: Scott is the founder of Axispoint, a custom development firm specializing in building software and blockchain applications in the content, media and music industries. As a strategic investor and part of the management team, Scott leads the Props development organization. Previously, Scott and Axispoint created the software that powers the rights and royalty management systems for EMI and Warner Music. Axispoint creates custom software applications for the NFL, New York Times, Vice Media and other media enterprises.

Props announced its first advisory board as well:

Rachel Lightfoot Melby is an 8-year veteran of Google and YouTube and also an investor in Props. She is the founder and chief brand builder of Catchfoot and Run.

Lee Sosin was SVP of Hearst Digital Media, VP of Time Inc. Studios, VP of Strategic Solutions for Yahoo, and a co-founder of America’s Channel. He is a consultant and advisor on brand, marketing and content strategies.

Patrick Hanlon is the author of the content marketing playbook, “Primal Branding,” and also an investor in Props. He is an award-winning creative director and the founder of Thinktopia.

Lark-Marie Anton was deputy press secretary for Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, chief communications officer for Endurance International and SVP at Hertz and Loews Hotels. She is currently the chief communications officer for Intrusta.

Sara Arnell was an editor at Vanity Fair, as well as co-founder and CEO of the Arnell Group. She is the founder of KARMiC and a professor at Parsons School of Design.

David Sussman was general counsel and chief operating officer of the New York Yankees, general counsel of MTV Networks, chief legal officer of NBC Universal’s Distribution Group and is now special counsel at Jenner and Block, LLP.

Early Props investors include former Audible.com CTO Guy Story, Better Mortgage CEO Vishal Garg, and his 1/0 Capital fund, and Props co-founder and former R/GA executive creative director Pat Stern.

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Read the Adweek story about Props here.