You don’t want to be a victim, below we describe some of the most powerful things you can do to protect your online identity and information.
Good strong passwords – in most cases your username and password are the only defense against your information. Make sure the passwords you use are unique at each site. Passwords should be long and complex, consider a passphrase with multiple words or acronyms to help you come up with stronger passwords. Common replacements such as 0 for O is not considered complex enough anymore.
Use Multi-Factor Authentication – multi-factor authentication combines something you know, usually your password, and something you have, usually your phone for text or code. This helps provide another layer of defense if your password is compromised, the bad-guy needs access to the phone and password to get in.
Limit online information – social media can be a treasure trove of information for a hacker. Limit what you post online so that it is not used against you.
Be on the lookout for fake accounts online– Inspect all new online friend requests. Impersonation accounts can be tricky to spot. A good idea is to confirm online friend requests by contacting the person in real life using an alternate known contact method.
Avoid Phishing, Vishing, and Smishing – A phishing email is a social engineering effort to get information. Vishing is over-the-phone social engineering, and smishing is text message based. The best rule of thumb is to not open messages or click on links from numbers you don’t know or calls/texts/emails you were not expecting.
Updates on your devices – Keep your devices and software up to date. Security patches are delivered to you via these updates. You also want to make sure your network devices are updated such as modems and routers.
Encrypt devices – Keep your computers, phones, and all devices encrypted. This will protect them if they get lost or stolen.
Cyber security tools – Antivirus or endpoint protection, identity protection, dark-web monitoring, and credit monitoring can all help protect your identity.
Prepared by CNI Technology – www.cni.us.com. Investment advisory services offered through Keystone Financial Services, an SEC Registered Investment Advisor. Keystone Financial and CNI Technology are separate and non-affiliated companies. The information provided is for presentation purposes only. Keystone Financial does not endorse or receive compensation from CNI Technology