Trusted External Resources
There's a lot of security advice online, and not all of it is good — some of it is even scams dressed up as help. These are reputable, free, and genuinely useful sources we're comfortable pointing our community to.
For general cyber safety
The National Cybersecurity Alliance (the organization behind the Then & Now series we teach) publishes clear, jargon-free guidance for everyday people on staying safe online. It's a good first stop for almost any topic.
For checking if your information has leaked
Reputable breach-notification services let you enter your email address and see whether it has appeared in a known data breach. If it has, that's your cue to change the password on the affected accounts. If you're unsure which tools are trustworthy or what to do with the results, ask us — we walk people through this regularly.
For reporting scams and fraud
- The U.S. Federal Trade Commission takes reports of scams and identity theft and offers step-by-step recovery guides.
- The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center is where to report online fraud, especially if money was lost.
- Your bank's fraud line (the number on the back of your card) is the fastest first call if financial details were exposed.
A word of caution
Be wary of any “security” tool that finds you through a pop-up, an unsolicited call, or a scary warning telling you to act immediately — that's frequently a scam itself. Trustworthy resources don't chase you down or pressure you. When you're not sure whether a source is legitimate, that's a perfectly good reason to get in touch and ask before you act.