For anyone looking to become financially independent, you must learn how to stay safe online and protect your identity and accounts.
Most of us never take the time to stay safe online. Whether it’s using Instagram, Chase, or Gmail, you will be a target of cybercriminals. Your identity is valuable and so are your money and reputation.
In this guide, I’ll show you what you can do to stay safe online and protect yourself from hackers. We’ll only cover the most important cybersecurity best practices you should implement right now.
- What is Protecting Yourself Online?
- How to Stay Safe Online from Hackers and Criminals: 8 Tips
- Tip #1: Use Strong, Unique Passwords to Stay Safe
- Tip #2: Use a Password Manager for Convenience
- Tip #3: Always Turn On Two Factor Authentication
- Tip #4: Do Not Give Out Personal Information
- Tip #5: Protect Your Financial Information
- Tip #6: Use Gmail to Stay Safe Online
- Tip #7: Isolate Financial Accounts
- Tip #8: Optimize Device Security
- How to Stay Safe Online and Avoid Scams: Summary
- What’s Next?
What is Protecting Yourself Online?
Cybersecurity is protecting yourself and your valuables when you use the internet on your computer or phone. It’s like putting a lock on your door to keep your home safe, but for your money, reputation online, credit score, and digital life.
Brilliant software engineers and business people spend their entire lives studying how to protect online accounts from bad guys (hackers) who want to steal private information and money. These bad guys are no different from thieves and robbers in real life; they use special tools and lies to pretend to be you and break into what is yours.
Why Stay Safe Online?
If you don’t stay safe online, you could become a victim of cyber attacks. Cyber-crimes are extremely common nowadays.
The richer you are, the more critical it is to keep your finances and personal information safe. Since you’re reading Fatfire Woman, you are probably a target of some who want what you have. But it would be best to consider protecting yourself from strangers and people you know.
How to Know Whether You are Safe Online?
Attackers commonly steal information by hacking a website’s database and stealing passwords or credit card numbers. If you’re worried about this happening, check out www.haveibeenpwned.com to see if your email or phone number is compromised.
Also, it’s always a good idea to assume that someone already stole your information because your password will be hacked, eventually. For the rest of this guide below, we will work on ways to protect yourself despite being hacked.
How to Stay Safe Online from Hackers and Criminals: 8 Tips
Keeping your online accounts safe is essential. This guide lists an easy-to-follow plan to help you secure your funds. Keep in mind that these are must-dos, the basics to follow today.
Tip #1: Use Strong, Unique Passwords to Stay Safe
Hopefully, you already know by now that “test123” or your birthday are terrible passwords. But beyond that, did you know that using the same password for all your accounts is also wrong, no matter how strong that password is?
Using the same password is like using the same key for your bank account, car, house, private diary, and most intimate photos and conversations. It’s a terrible idea.
If someone gets your password, they can access all your accounts because it is your key. But in the internet world, the password is you. So they get the password, and they become you, period. So, what should you do?
First, using a unique and strong password for each site is best. Unique means every password on every website has to be completely different – not different by a word or a number. Strong means your passwords should all have at least 12 characters, preferably 14 characters or more, and should combine uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Further, the letters inside your password should be entirely random and cannot be found in a dictionary or be the name of a person or product.
I know. It can be tough to remember and manage unique and complex passwords. But there’s a solution. Read the following section to find out.
Tip #2: Use a Password Manager for Convenience
Manage your passwords using a password manager, such as 1Password if you want your stuff saved in the cloud or Roboform if you want it saved only on your desktop. A password manager will help you auto-generate complex and unique passwords for each site you visit and then save them and access them without having to remember them all.
That’s right. Once you have 1Password or Roboform, you only need to remember one password – your password manager’s master password.
There is a tradeoff between convenience and security. The safest way is to memorize all the unique and strong passwords in your head or write them on paper and lock them in your safe. But people want convenience.
A password manager is a good tradeoff of providing you with many conveniences AND sufficient safety. Having said that, it’s not 100% safe.
I used to use LastPass, but that got hacked. So now I am instead using 1Pass (here is why 1Password is stronger). Hardcore cybersecurity experts will recommend against using a password manager. I’m not a hardcore cybersecurity expert. I value convenience, so if a password manager enables me to not repeat passwords, combined with two factor authentication, it is a choice I am willing to trade off.
The information inside a password manager is usually safe because the company doesn’t hold the encryption key to your data. In the case of LastPass, even with the hack (which is bad!), the hacker still need to guess your master password because the password encryption stored locally on your computer, so it’s more challenging (though not impossible!) for attackers to access.
In the case of RoboForm, everything is stored locally on your desktop and not in the cloud. Local storage makes your passwords less portable (i.e., using it across your devices and phones) but safer as the hacker needs to access your desktop computer AND guess your master password to hack you.
Using a password manager is much safer than reusing the same password for all your accounts. So, give it a try!
Tip #3: Always Turn On Two Factor Authentication
Two-factor authentication (2FA) is a way to keep your online accounts safe by adding an extra layer of security. When you enable two-factor authentication, it requires you to provide two forms of identification before accessing it. The two factors used in 2FA are something the user knows (i.e., password) and something the user has (i.e., authentication app on your phone or hardware key).
2 Factor Authentication is a great way to protect your accounts. If someone gets your password because they’d still need to hack the second layer of security. It would help to use 2FA as a default on everything, especially your banks, and emails.
However, traditional 2FA methods of sending a code to your email or text are not safe anymore. 2FA via email and text can be easily phished. Phishing means hackers can trick or scam you into giving them your 2FA code via a real-looking email or text.
For 2FA, most people should use an authentication app, such as the Google Authenticator App (iOS, Android), or a security key, such as Yubico’s Yubikey or Google’s Titan keys.
Google Authenticator is a free app that you can download and install on your phone. The app creates a new code every few seconds that only you can access via phone to log in to your accounts. Security keys are little devices that give you a unique, one-time code to enter and your password to verify your identity. You can connect the security key to your computer or mobile device using a USB port or wirelessly using NFC (Near Field Communication). They’re secure because someone must steal your key to use it.
Tip #4: Do Not Give Out Personal Information
Protecting your personal information, like your social security number, address, and phone number, across all your accounts is essential. But you should also know that your social security, name, address, and birthday are already out there for a sophisticated hacker to retrieve. This is another reason you should never use your birthday as your password or pin!
But there are still a lot of accounts with sensitive information that, once hacked, could harm you. For example, if someone hacks into your college account, they could find financial aid tax forms that include your social security number.
To protect your personal information, use a strong password and enable two-factor authentication (preferably with a security key) on all your accounts. It’s also a good idea to be cautious about sharing your personal information with anyone, even if it seems like they are someone you know. Unfortunately, a lot of social security scams come from people you know.
Never give out your personal information via social media. Very few places require social security numbers – applying for a government ID and filling out your work authorization are about the only two I can remember.
You can try to refuse to provide your social security number if your doctor, gym, or some random online application asks for it. Always be careful and protect your personal information.
Tip #5: Protect Your Financial Information
When it comes to protecting your financial information can be challenging. If you’re planning to wait to use your credit, you can freeze it with every significant bureau and set up credit monitoring, so you’ll know if anyone opens an account in your name.
As for credit cards, it’s best to use them instead of debit cards whenever possible because it’s harder to dispute debit card transactions. Apps like Apple/Google Pay are even better because they use a one-time code for transactions. While RFID readers can theoretically steal your credit card information as you walk by, it’s never happened, so you don’t need an RFID-blocking wallet.
Monitoring is critical here too. For example, you can set up text alerts for every credit card transaction, so you’ll know if something’s fishy immediately. You can also set up a challenge/response for phone calls with your bank to stop social engineers from stealing your info. Just make sure your security question is good and can’t be found on social media (“Who was your least favorite teacher in high school?)
Tip #6: Use Gmail to Stay Safe Online
Email: the Root of All Hacks
If someone can hack your email, they can do much damage. Protecting your “root” means safeguarding your email account because your email is the key to all your other online accounts.
I recommend using Gmail with the advanced protection program and security keys to keep your email safe. Yahoo emails are easier to hack, for example, and other email programs are simply too small. Remember: your email is the communication between you and ALL other accounts you have.
Never, ever, access your email on a public device, be it in a hotel or library. That device is liked hacked.
Gmail’s advanced protection program makes getting into your account difficult for everyone. However, if you lose both your keys, it might take a few days to get back in. Another good thing about using security keys is that even if someone breaks into your email, they won’t be able to get into your other accounts that use security keys for 2FA.
Tip #7: Isolate Financial Accounts
One way to help you keep your finances and personal information safe is to use two different email addresses. Use the first email for social media or receiving emails from friends and family, and the second for financial accounts like banks, investments, and credit cards. It’s essential to keep the second email private and not give it to anyone. In addition, using two different emails makes it harder for someone to guess which email you use for your financial accounts.
Ensure both Gmail accounts use strong, unique passwords you can remember. And it would help if you stored all passwords in a password manager. But for the few select vital accounts, you should consider NOT storing these passwords in a password manager, just in case.
Tip #8: Optimize Device Security
Keeping your devices safe can be challenging, but taking steps to protect your personal information is essential. For example, for your phone, make sure to use a passcode, fingerprint, or pattern to prevent someone from accessing your financial accounts if they steal your phone.
Another tip: only download apps from trusted sources to avoid downloading malicious apps that could harm your device or steal your information. When it comes to choosing a personal computer, Google ChromeBooks are the safest option for a variety of reasons. Macs and Windows computers are equally secure, but hackers target Macs less because they are less common.
Be careful when browsing online, especially on an adult or illegal streaming websites with malicious pop-ups or ads. Torrenting and using the dark web can also be risky. If you choose to engage in these activities, using a separate Chromebook for your financial accounts is best to avoid losing money.
If you need to use antivirus software, Bitdefender is a good choice. However, be cautious of software or devices from Russian or Chinese manufacturers, as they may have security vulnerabilities or backdoors. When using public Wi-Fi, be aware of its risks, so it’s best to use a VPN if possible. Avoid free VPNs, as they may not be trustworthy.
Last but not least: always lock your phone! And always further lock the financial apps inside your phone (so you have to sign on every time you open the app).
How to Stay Safe Online and Avoid Scams: Summary
Remember that this guide lists the basics you should consider implementing immediately. This guide does not even cover the advanced security tips for the paranoid and super famous because advanced cybersecurity actions are less convenient, which makes you less likely to adopt (i.e., use only VPN, use only Firefox, install a firewall, etc.) I might write another advanced guide on cybersecurity someday.
Here’s a summary of what we learned today and what you should implement ASAP to keep yourself safe from hackers and protect your identity and money online.
- Get two security keys (Yubico) or an authentication app (Google Authenticator) to use as an extra layer of security.
- Create two email (Gmail) accounts: one public and one private. Keep your private email a secret and not link it to your public email.
- Turn on advanced protection for your Gmail accounts and link them to your security keys.
- Use password managers to generate strong passwords for all your accounts, except for your emails, computer password, and password manager – store those separately in a safe. (If you get a password manager premium, you can likely use your security keys for authentication).
- Connect your financial accounts, such as credit cards, banks, and brokerages, to your private email only.
- Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) on all your accounts, using the security keys wherever possible. Also, turn on login alerts so you know when someone has entered your site illegally.
- Turn on text/email alerts for credit card charges, bank transactions, and credit changes.
- Always lock your phone with a password or other authorization measure, and secure your financial apps individually.
- Consider freezing your credit to prevent identity theft.
- If you can, get a cheap Chromebook for all your financial transactions.
- Optionally, your phone and hard drives for added security.
What’s Next?
You can’t be financially independent without also being healthy. Find out using my Biological Age Calculator with Instant Results
How to cope with the worst scenario? Read: Hyperinflation Survival Guide: Strategy and Tactics
How much SHOULD you have by now? Try out another calculator: the Net Worth by Age Calculator
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