In this issue:

• Threat of the week: Phone passcodes that are easy to guess

• The GUARD Act

• Let me know if there’s a topic you want me to cover

Phone passcodes - is yours easy to guess?

I saw someone's passcode was set to one of the top easy-to-guess passcodes in the world so I promised the person I would provide instructions on how to update both the Android and iPhone passcodes in one of my articles.

The most common four-digit phone passcodes are simple, easy-to-remember patterns that are also easy for attackers to guess. The top passcodes include 1234, 0000, 1111, 1212, and 7777. If you have a six-digit passcode, the same concerns apply if you are using any patterns that repeat digits, use sequential numbers, or follow patterns along the number pad.

For iPhone:

1. Go to Settings, then depending on your model, do one of the following:

   • On an iPhone with Face ID, select Face ID & Passcode.

   • On an iPhone with a Home button, select Touch ID & Passcode.

2. If you have an existing passcode, it will ask for your current one.

3. Select Turn Passcode On or Change Passcode.

4. It will ask you again for your current passcode if you have one in place.

5. Enter your new passcode if you want a 6-digit passcode. If you'd like a 4-digit, custom numeric, or custom alphanumeric code, select Passcode Options.

6. Enter the new passcode a second time.

If you want additional protection, you can turn on Stolen Device Protection and Erase Data if there are 10 failed passcode attempts.

For Android:

1. Go to Settings, then select Security. If you don’t find Security, go to your phone manufacturer’s support site to find the procedure for setting a passcode.

2. Select Screen lock. If you’ve already set a lock you’ll need to enter your passcode, pattern, or password before you can set a different passcode.

3. Select the screen lock option you’d like to use: swipe, pattern, pin, or password.

4.  Follow the on-screen instructions to set a new lock option.

The GUARD Act

Most of the cyber policy work in governments is bipartisan. It doesn't matter if you are liberal or conversative--the ultimate goal is to stop cyber threats.

This week three U.S. House of Representatives introduced the Guarding Unprotected Aging Retirees from Deception (GUARD) Act which is a bill to do the following:

• Provide federal funds to State, local, and Tribal law enforcement agencies for investigated elder financial fraud, pig butchering (a real cybersecurity term for a type of scam), and general financial fraud.

• Clarify that Federal law enforcement agencies may assist State, local, and Tribal law enforcement agencies in the use of tracing technology tools and for other purposes.

Every day we are targeted in financial schemes and this bill will benefit us all. In a previous article I provided details of the FBI’s annual Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) report which found that people over 60 filed 147,127 financial fraud complaints in 2024. This is a 46% jump from the previous year with total internet crime losses exceeding $4.8 billion.

I will update you on the bill as it passes through Congress. If you are a victim of internet crime, please report it to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center.

Do you have an idea for a future newsletter? Please reply to this email and let me know.

Thank you so much!

Sincerely,
Cassie Crossley
Founder, Cyber Safe Center
https://www.cybersafecenter.com