When it comes to protecting your online data, there are many ways to do it. However, if you’re not careful, the wrong method could lead to a serious security breach or allow someone else access to your personal information. I’ve put together some tips that will help keep you safe when using the internet:
Use unique passwords for every site that has a login.
To keep your data safe online, use unique passwords for every site that has a login. Password managers can be used to generate and store all of your passwords in one place, or just the ones you are using most often. You should also use a password manager if you want to make sure that your personal information is protected from being hacked into.
If you want to know more about how this works and other ways of protecting yourself while using the internet (and beyond), check out our article on how to stay safe when browsing the web: https://www.digitaltrendsinsiderincorporated.com/how-to-keep-yourself-safe-online/
Strong passwords are long and contain both letters and numbers.
- Use a password manager to generate and store passwords.
- Don’t use the same password for multiple sites, because it’s easy to forget one site’s password when you log in somewhere else.
- Don’t use personal information, such as your birthdate or pet’s name in your password—this can make it easier for hackers to guess what you want them to think is yours.
- Don’t use common words or phrases (like “password” or “123456”), and don’t mix capital letters with lowercase letters; this makes it difficult for someone trying to crack your account by guessing possible passwords from scratch (especially if they’re trying their best).
- Avoid short passwords containing only six characters or less; this makes it easier for hackers who try cracking accounts by guessing possible combinations of letters and numbers from scratch
Use two-factor authentication (2FA) on all logins.
Two-factor authentication (2FA) is a security measure that requires two pieces of information to access your account. The first piece of information is something you know, like your password or PIN code; the second piece of information is something you have, like a security token or app on your phone.
2FA is become increasingly popular for its ability to protect sensitive data in the event of a data breach, but it’s also useful for other reasons too:
- It helps ensure that only authorized users have access to critical systems and applications. This can prevent unauthorized people from accessing sensitive data without having their own credentials revoked by using 2FA instead.*
- It prevents malicious users from changing passwords or resetting accounts—which would otherwise allow them full access once they know them.*
Change your passwords every 90 days.
- Use a password manager.
- Use a password generator.
- Make sure you’re using strong passwords, but also change them regularly to make it more difficult for hackers to guess what your original password was (for example, if you use “password” as your personal word, change it to something else).
Never share or send your password via text or email.
You may be tempted to share your password with someone you trust, like a friend or family member. But sharing is never recommended—it’s simply too easy for someone to get access to your account by getting hold of it from another source.
If you’re going to share a password, make sure that person knows how the two of you are connected (e.g., “My sister gave me this password”). Also keep track of what websites have been used with those credentials so that if one site gets hacked, other sites will still be secure because they’re protected by different passwords.
Avoid using the same password for multiple sites.
One of the easiest ways to protect your data is by not using the same password across multiple sites.
- Use a password manager to generate and store passwords. This will help you create unique, complex passwords that are hard for hackers to guess.
- Don’t use the same password for your email account, social media accounts, or other online accounts because these are usually compromised in one way or another (and yes—even if it’s just through some malware).
- Don’t write down your passwords anywhere! If someone finds it written down on paper somewhere (like a notepad), they can use this information against you later on when trying login into those websites again with their own data/passwords instead of yours.”
Never click on links in unsolicited emails, texts or messages asking you to do so.
- Never click on links in unsolicited emails, texts or messages asking you to do so.
- Never open attachments in unsolicited emails, texts or messages.
- Never trust the sender of unsolicited emails, texts or messages.
Don’t write down sensitive data anywhere online – even in public!
- Don’t write down your passwords anywhere online – even in public!
- Don’t share your passwords with anyone, even if it’s a trusted friend or family member.
- Avoid using the same password for multiple accounts and sites. This can be really easy to do because many services use the same username and password combination as another site; this means you may have to change both of them every time you log in to a new account on that service (or create new ones).
Protecting your online data should be a priority
Protecting your online data should be a priority. Data loss can be costly and embarrassing, especially if you don’t have access to the information that was lost or compromised. It’s also damaging to your reputation, career prospects and privacy—all things you need to protect in order for you to thrive professionally. A good first step toward keeping all of these things safe is simply making sure that no hacker has access to any part of your computer system where sensitive information is stored (or even stored).
The steps below will help keep this from happening:
Conclusion
Protecting your online data should be a priority. Your privacy and security are at stake! If you have sensitive information on your computer, phone or any other device, it’s important that you take steps to keep it safe. That doesn’t just mean avoiding public Wi-Fi hotspots but also making sure that all of the passwords used on these devices are unique and strong enough not to be guessed by hackers looking for easy access points into their targets’ networks.
