Question 

My mother is quite elderly and like the rest of us, she uses her computer for everything these days. I would not call her savvy when it comes to internet use, though she shops online, can search the internet, and accesses her bank accounts with her phone. 

What I worry about is how she is protecting her passwords. She gives out her WIFI password without hesitation to family members and who knows who else.  

With all the scamming going on these days I would like to know how to protect my mother without being too intrusive. 

Answer 

You are correct that the elderly are frequently the targets of cybercrime. These days we all need to take defensive moves to protect our identity, passwords, and all electronic data. The elderly need to be the most diligent and often are not, making them the logical targets. 

To start, you will need to open a dialog with your mother about cybercrime. I am making the assumption that you are the child that she is most likely to trust with her security concerns. If you have siblings, it may be best to check in with them before you jump into this conversation. 

To begin the dialog with your mother, you will need to simply ask her about how she is protecting her data. Let her know that you just read an article about new scams and how the elderly are being targeted. Share with her an article or two about scams and let her know of changes that you have made to your security. Let her know that you are concerned about your own data and hers. If your relationship is strong, she will be willing to have a conversation with you. 

Most important for her security is strong passwords and safe password storage.  

Start with passwords themselves. Find out how she selects a password. If she is willing, have her show you her list of passwords. Take a quick look at what she has created. If her passwords repeat, are simple, and not complex with multiple varied characters, help her replace them with more appropriate ones. There was a time when computers were new that it did not matter too much what your passwords were as there were very few people trying to invade your privacy. Often, we stick with our original passwords, simply because we have not had a problem yet. 

On another visit, talk through the storage of her passwords. It is likely that on the first visit you got an idea how she was storing them, if you saw the list or watched her pull it out or up on her computer.  

If your mother is storing her passwords on paper, where she stores them matters. Ideally, she is using a safe for this information. The combination to her safe should only be held by her and a trusted individual. At a bare minimum she should be storing her list in a secure locked location, not on sticky notes attached to her computer. It is most annoying to continually be unlocking and obtaining the list to access your accounts, though it is essential for her protection. 

Another option for her to consider is a password manager. Yes, these could be targeted by cybercriminals, and there have been a few reported incidents. They are safer though then carrying your passwords around in your purse or letting the browser on your computer store your password. It also allows her to have only one password, though it would need to be complex. Password managers are widely recommended by professionals in the information technology business. 

Your mother should 100% of the time select the option for two factor authentication to access any of her accounts. If that has not been done, show her how it works on one of your accounts. 

I have touched the surface here of getting you started to help secure your mother’s data. This will be a continual process for all of us to stay secure. There are people working very hard from locations around the world to capture our money. Electronics have given us wonderful tools to make life faster and easier. With that convenience comes the need to take defensive action in an attempt to protect what we saved our entire lives to build. 

This is a journey you can take with your mother to give you both some peace of mind.