Considering that hacking attacks have more chance of bringing down jet planes than missiles, pinning your hopes on a weak password to secure your credentials seems like quite a risk. Properly securing your passwords is a pillar of every cybersecurity strategy, but it’s unfortunately often easily overlooked.
Nevertheless, the future of accessing your accounts seems bright. The technology that has been on the rise for years now is biometrics. It uses your physical characteristics like a fingerprint, face scan, voice, or even retina scan to grant you access to your credentials. Considering that human physical features are unique, it’s less likely that someone will steal your sensitive data.
HOW TO SECURE PASSWORDS AND LOGINS
Those who want to upgrade the security game will probably end up googling their options and find themselves overwhelmed with information. Our advice is to start small – do your research and start implementing security measures one by one. Here are some practices you should consider implementing:
1. Switch to a password manager
If by managing your passwords you mean memorizing them or writing them down on a sticky note, it’s time to get serious. A password manager is an easy-to-use software designed to store and encrypt your credentials, making them unavailable for any malicious third party. You’ll have to remember only one password that’ll grant you access to all of your accounts. Hence, make sure to come up with a solid one.
2. Use an MFA
Multi-factor authentication has been a hero of the security game for some time now. It’s making things much harder for anyone trying to break into your account by layering additional authentication features. This kind of protection often includes a password combined with a fingerprint and a security code received in an SMS message. The system lies on the idea that if someone breaks through the first layer of authentication, you still have at least two layers protecting your account.
3. Keep good cyber hygiene
You should treat your devices and data the same as your physical body – brush through your emails regularly and keep your devices squeaky clean. Besides that, passwords are a big part of a healthy security scheme, and it is vital to maintain solid credentials to protect your data. For that reason, you should always pick passwords that are longer than eight characters and composed of lower and upper case letters, numbers, and symbols. Also, you should never leave your credentials on your device or any place where someone could find them.
THE BEST SECURITY TOOLS TO STRENGTHEN YOUR ONLINE ACTIVITIES
If you’re concerned about your safety while you’re online, here are a few tools that can give an additional boost to your security plan.
1. VPN
When it looks like it’s going to rain, bring an umbrella just in case. The same goes for the online realm – if it seems like something’s going to soak through your protective measures, it’s a good idea to shield your activities with a VPN. A VPN directs your connection through an encrypted tunnel and protects your activities from intruders. However, if you don’t want to commit to a new service, you can always try a free VPN trial to see how it works for you.
2. Signal
We often don’t think of our messages as a potential source of a data breach, but they’re pretty easily hacked. Singal is a messenger app that encrypts the messages you exchange with other Signal users, and this way, you don’t have to worry about your conversations getting into the wrong hands.
3. Antivirus
You probably knew about the importance of a good antivirus, but most people miss that it should be updated regularly. Updating your software, especially antivirus, can make a significant difference in your security strategy since updates remove outdated features and remove security flaws.
Coming up with a functional security strategy may seem like a demanding task, but take things slow and build up according to your needs. Implement these few tips, and you’re good to go!