Fortify your accounts to keep your information secure.
Protect your credentials from hackers and cybercriminals.
Use alphanumeric passwords that are hard to guess.
Understand common threats and what to be wary of.
Avoid terrible password habits to counter hacker threats.
Protect your passwords from cyber criminals, since that’s what they care about most.
Data breaches are more common than ever before. To find out if you were a part of a data breach can be quite the hassle. But what does it mean for your online security? What do you need to do? Fortunately, you will learn how to take control of your online accounts, protect your devices, and other personal data from cybercriminals here.
Unlike movies, hackers do not crack codes to get top-secret documents files. Hackers responsible for data breaches specifically target companies, and not individual users. Their main goal is to get as much data as possible in order to leverage, resell and use said data to make money. It all revolves around getting your password.
Hackers do not care whose credentials or personal information they get their hands on, as long as they can get their hands on a ton of it. This should explain why cybercriminals target big companies that have millions of users. These hackers look for vulnerabilities, and once they find one, they can get steal or copy all the information they want.
Once cybercriminals get their hands on your data, then they can start their real work. Of course, it is impossible to determine what they want to do with the data they have obtained, but they will most likely look into ways of making a profit out of it. Your online account may not be affected immediately, but the ramifications could be quite serious.
Some data like credit card numbers, banking information, and so on, are quite valuable because they can be used for identity theft or to withdraw money. Email addresses and passwords are just as valuable because they could work on other accounts as well. Basically, any and all data is valuable in one way or another, and can be easily sold on the dark web.
Since people tend to reuse the same passwords over and over again, hackers tend to use this to their advantage. For this reason, you should use a different password for each account you own. Of course, remembering each password for different accounts can be tough, which is why using a secure password manager is a good idea.
If you are worried about the amount of money hackers can steal from you, don’t be. Hackers can make a lot more money by leveraging your personal data. For instance, they can use your private and confidential information to apply for loan or credit cards in your name. They can even make withdrawals or purchases. What’s worse is they can even use your information to target your friends or family.
In case you are a victim of a data breach, what should you do? Here are a couple of steps you should take immediately for damage control.
Find out as much as you can about the breach. This way you can identify what data of yours could have been targeted. This will allow you to take the necessary steps to protect your data.
Lock down your hacked account, and change the password right away. If you are unable to do so, then contact the website for further assistance. If you use the same password on other accounts, change those passwords too.
If you are dealing with a financial breach, then you should contact your bank to notify them of a possible fraud. Also, monitor your statements to identify charges you have not made.
If you have a credit history, then you will need to go through your credit reports to look for suspicious activity. Make sure there are no new cards, loans, or accounts that you know nothing of.
Your password serves as your first line of defense against unauthorized access to your accounts and hackers. The stronger your passwords are, the lesser the chances of you becoming a victim of a data breach.
To create unique and strong passwords, here is what you need to do:
Data breaches are just one of many online threats you will need to secure yourself against. To protect your identity online, here are a couple of steps you should take into consideration.
Security experts recommend password managers to safeguard your online credentials from hackers. However, people are still not comfortable using them. If you are one of those people, here are some common myths about password managers that will remove any doubts you have about them in the first place.
That is not the case if you stick to a reputable password manager. A reputable password manager will:
Not tool online can guarantee complete security online. Just because a lock can be broken does not mean you do not install one on the front door of your house. Instead of remembering each password, you can count on password managers to do that for you. Additionally, they can help you get rid of bad habits.
Contrary to popular belief, all your passwords are not stored in one place. Any data stored on a reliable password manager is encrypted. So even if the password manager is hacked, your encrypted data cannot be broken into by cybercriminals.
Obviously, it is next to impossible to remember your passwords. Why not ease your pain by using a password manager instead? Not only will you not need to remember any of your passwords, but they can be installed on any device. To make things easier, they will even auto-fill passwords for you.
Agreed, it can take some time before you are able to store all your passwords in a password manager, but you do not have to store all of them in one go. Start small, and store passwords whenever possible.