Tips to Avoid Getting Hacked

If you have email, social media, or a website, you need to turn these tips into habits to help protect your private information. This article will provide five simple practices you can do to avoid getting hacked.

1. Maintain strong passwords

Your passwords should be unique, strong, and randomized. When you use common phrases like your name, last name, pet’s name, etc., hackers are likely to guess those things first. Especially if you post that information on your social media. Use different passwords for each site. Once a hacker guesses your password correctly on one site, all of your other accounts are compromised as well.

2. Set up two-factor authentication

Having a password alone is not enough. Two-factor authentication is an additional layer of protection to secure your accounts. 2FA is a method where you first type in your password, and then you are prompted to type in a verification code that is sent via email or text. If someone gets a hold of your password, they cannot access your account unless they have the verification code.

3. Beware of suspicious/spam emails

Emails can post a threat to everyone because many rely on it for important info, business meetings, and relevant documents. This is a hacker’s perfect place to attack your online identity. Verify the sender’s address to be sure it’s the person you intended to receive a message from. Here are some red flags to look for in a spam email: asking for your personal information such as your home address, phone number, and social security number. Make sure to block, mark as spam, and ignore as much as possible.

4. Don’t open attachments in suspicious emails or texts

You might be asking, “What if the email address or phone number of the sender is the same as the email you usually send emails and texts to?” Well the email content or text itself may not look or seem suspicious, but never trust or open attachments or click on external links. These could be hiding dangerous malware. As a backup, it’s great to have a firewall or antivirus program downloaded to your computer so that it will stop you from going to those bad sites.

5. Avoid using public Wi-Fi

When you visit your favorite coffee shop, restaurant, or retail store, do not connect to the public Wi-Fi. Since they are public connections, often without passwords, they are not secure. Due to the amount of high traffic connecting to one source, this is another perfect way to get hacked. If you are in a pinch and need to use the Internet, get a virtual private network (VPN) service to encrypt your traffic so others cannot see your online activity.

Hackers can gain access to your information very easily without being detected and the consequences can be devastating. If you implement these five tips and make them a habit, you are less likely to be hacked.

*** This is a Security Bloggers Network syndicated blog from "Ask Aleada" Blog - Aleada Consulting authored by "Ask Aleada" Blog - Aleada Consulting. Read the original post at: https://www.aleada.co/ask-aleada-blog/2021/11/8/tips-to-avoid-getting-hacked