68: How to Keep Your Passwords and Online Information Safe

How many times over the course of the past 12 months or so have you received a notification that your online information was possibly compromised? Me lots. According to a study by Norton LifeLock, in 2019, the number of publicly disclosed breaches was 3,804.1 billion records were exposed, and there was a 54% increase in the number of reported breaches versus the first six months of 2018. Cybersecurity is a thing. From banks to Facebook to universities and online gaming, no one is immune to data breaches these days, and they can and have cost consumers billions of dollars. And at times I don't know if you're like me, it feels like there's not a lot you can do about it with the exception of just changing an email. After all, you need or want to have access to online information and be to stay connected. You know when you're on your phone and you need that password right away and you have to go through all of these hoops to get a password. Fortunately, there's a lot that you can do to protect yourself and your data and your money. How to keep your passwords and online information safe. All right, here are your tips for keeping your online world a safe one. 1. Don't use an obvious password. Your birthday. Your kids names. The street you live on. None of these are secure passwords. Instead, use phrases and add an extra character or number instead of letters. And the more unusual the better. Now, unusual is usually not sequential numbers. The top common passwords of 2019, according to Splash data, seven out of ten of the most common were obvious sequential numbers. 123-45-612 345-67-8912 34567. You get the idea. There was a let's say a 11111 and a 123123 and then I love you. Of course, you also don't want to use the same password across multiple devices and logins. Instead, vary them as much as you can. Now, how can you possibly remember them all? I know, but thankfully there are password keepers for you. One is one password. One that I use is called LastPass. Is that bad to say which one I use? Probably not. And icloud keychain does a really good job of keeping your numbers. So especially if you're using an iPhone. For me I have two options that come up with facial recognition, so I have included links in the show notes so you can see the programs that I use. Next, keep your operating system updated. So yes, it is a hassle to have to deal with these never ending updates from Apple and Microsoft. And there are people out there I know that say I'm always waiting to update it because I want to let them get the bugs out. Well, a, a lot of the bugs that they're getting out have to do with security. So you want to update your operating system as often as you can and as soon as you can because these updates are necessary to keep the devices running smoothly but safely. So it's kind of the reason why they came out with the updates in the first place. So whenever you see a new one, don't roll your eyes and get stressed. Say, you know what, I got to download this immediately. Next, number three. Secure your home and business wireless network. So your network needs to have a pack password to prevent others from hijacking it. So you want to create a password and update it often, even if you never give it out to anyone. For instance, people come to your house and they want to use the wifi and they're going to ask you what your password is so you can share it. On some iPhones now if you walk into the house, you can automatically share. It will allow you to have someone share your WI fi, which is great. Now I don't have a hard rule for this, but when it comes to naming your WI fi, I encourage people not to use their name. And I work with a business group and one of the guys, an okay boomer, everything he has has his name on it. And I told him that he shouldn't do that and he said, why? He's an engineer. And I said, I don't know, it just doesn't seem safe if people know what your name is. Next, avoid free open WI FI network. So I'm talking hotels, the airport, the library. If it's free and open to anyone without a password, you don't want to use it. So go ahead and invest. Get more data from your wireless carrier or use a hotspot on your phone, or you can buy a portable hotspot to bring with you, especially if you travel for Internet access. Because if the network is open to you, it means it's open to others. So close out on that signup and use your personal hotspot. Next, number five. Check your privacy settings, especially on mobile devices. Hackers can get into your data just by being in close proximity to you. So double check your privacy settings so you know exactly which information is stored on your device and what could possibly be shared. Number six, Enable remote device wiping. So what happens if you lose your device? If you have passwords and files stored there, they could get in the hands of the wrong person. So invest in an app that allows you to track exactly where your device is, and then it will wipe out sensitive information if it gets stolen or misplaced. I feel that every few months, someone will tell me a horror story where they've left their phone or their laptop somewhere, like in a car. I have a memory of someone telling me the story, and it was a doctor who had a laptop in a car. They may have been at a gym, and someone broke into the car and stole the laptop. So there were HIPAA issues. Not to mention the guy didn't have his laptop. And again, my memory shot. I don't remember who told me this story, but that was the biggest concern. Not that they lost their laptop, but that they lost all of the information. Next number seven. Keep your devices locked. You may think that you don't need to lock your device because you always know where it is. Well, I just told you a story. Sometimes you don't if someone steals it. So if something gets lost or misplaced, your phone or your laptop, you never know who's going to pick it up. So a locked device is that much more difficult to hack into. Okay, next number eight. Turn off your Bluetooth when it's not in use. Hackers can gain access to your device through an open and active Bluetooth connection. These hacks usually aren't devastating for you as the end user compared to someone hacking into an email or to your system, but they are an inconvenience if someone does gain access. So don't just make your Bluetooth invisible, turn it off completely unless you're using it. I know it's a pain. I remember someone telling me at a conference last year not to have the conference app. And you've all seen them. If you've gone to a conference, they'll tell you to download the app, and then you manage your schedule through the app. He told me not to connect to the Bluetooth when you connect into the WI fi, and he said one reason was because it could track you at all times, wherever you go. And then the other reason, very similar to my doctor who had his car broken into. I don't remember what the reason was, but it had something to do with a cyber risk. And he told me that's why I shouldn't do the Bluetooth. I was just at the same conference a week ago, saw the same guy, and I said, hey, you told me not to do the Bluetooth, and I didn't do it this time. And Then we talked about it and I don't remember what the answer was. So how's that for confident communications? I don't know the why, but I'll tell you what not to do. Don't keep your Bluetooth open. All right, number nine, Check an app before installing it. Not all apps are made by trusted individuals and organizations. And when I say an app, what I'm talking about is on your phone when you can download PayPal or WhatsApp or Facebook, Instagram, whatever it is. Some of the common ones you know are pretty safe, but some you know, if you don't know who the developer is, you don't know if it's going to be safe. So make sure it's from a trusted source, look at the information it wants to access, and take a look at the user reviews. That's always my go to. I always look at where it ranks and how many user reviews and I usually go with the one that has the most and open it and read the reviews. There was an app that I was looking at and had a ton of reviews. I opened it. Every review was horrible, horrible. And it said that they thought it was a scam. So good information. So if it looks too good to be true or the user's experiences, you know, the users experience a lot of problems. Try finding another app or if you downloaded it, get rid of it. A good rule of thumb, you shouldn't need to install a file via email or text message. On most legit apps, you hit the app, you'll see the download, and then it will open. That usually signals a trustworthy app. Next, number 10. Maintain privacy settings on social media. Oy, this is a big one. All social media platforms have privacy settings that you as the end user can adjust and adjust as often as you want. You can choose who sees your posts, your personal information like your hometown, your birth date, and your old posts. I've said it before, multiple times. It's important that you are careful online, especially when it comes to your reputation. It goes for your personal information as well. So you should also check your privacy settings regularly. Sometimes the social media platforms change their own settings looking at you Facebook and they will reset what gets shared about you online. So make sure you stay on top of it. Quick little tip. If you want to check on Facebook, go to your last post and look. Is there a globe or is it two heads or a lock? If it's a globe, that means that that post is public and open to anyone. If it's two heads right next to each other, it means that it's just shared with friends. All right, Last tip number 12 Always sign out and turn off your devices. It's easy to get lazy and just close the window or the app rather than fully sign out. But signing out, especially on open wifi or public computers, can leave your account open and vulner completely. Sign out. When you're finished using a device, turn it off instead of just allowing it to go into hibernation or sleep mode. So there you have it. 12 tips on how to keep your passwords and your online content safe. I hope you found it helpful and I hope you make some immediate changes to your devices, your laptop, your phone. If you found that some of your footprints, your digital footprints were now at risk. So for more information you can always follow me on Twitter. I love chatting with people on Twitter. You can find me at Molly McPherson. My password is no. That's all for now. Thanks for listening.