Hacking, spear phishing, Trojan horses, viruses, social engineering – the list goes on, but in the end it all means the same thing: compromised internet security can be costly.
The good news: you can make it difficult for hackers to steal your identity, empty your bank account, copy your credit card, and all of those other nasty things they do once they’ve logged into your accounts. Here are five ways to stop them:
1. Create strong passwords:
“Microsoft generally recommends using a different strong password for each account, and choose strong passwords that are at least fourteen characters long, using a mix of uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.” (Jim Lamm, Gray Plant Mooty)
2. Don’t share intimate details of your life with the Internet:
“Post as little identifying information as possible on any social networking sites. This includes phone numbers, addresses, even pet’s names. People’s profiles are usually the first place hackers look to identify the answers to password security questions. The more personal the information about you on the Internet, the easier it will be for someone to click on the ‘Forgot Password’ option on a website and use information accumulated on the Internet to answer the security questions.” (Susan Baise and Katherine Ohlandt, Farella Braun + Martel LLP)
3. Use different passwords for different accounts:
“Use an old-fashioned solution for a twenty-first century crime. According to Eric Grosse, VP for Google’s security, he has a different password for every website he uses. That’s 200 different passwords that he keeps safe on a piece of paper.” (attorneys at Raiser & Kenniff)
4. Use separate computers to thwart hackers:
“Because much hacking is accomplished while the victim is using the Internet, it is recommended to use one computer for all financial computing and a separate computer for basic Internet browsing, social networking, shopping, etc. This limits the financial information available to hackers on a computer that is not used for personal finances and also limits the Internet usage time in which hackers are able to get information from the computer on which the financial work is done.” (Baise and Ohlandt)
5. Life changes? Change your passwords:
“[W]hen separating [from your spouse,] immediately … change ALL your passwords. This applies to your email, any online shopping sites, any online business accounts, retirement accounts, bank accounts, credit cards, etc. Don’t forget to change the password to your smartphone or any other electronic devices.” (Nancy Van Tine, Burns & Levinson)
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