So far, 2014 h
as seen a few high-profile data breaches that have made Americans think about their cybersecurity. Even before the start of the year, however, there were signs of the increase in hacking and large information leaks that hopefully inspired you to reevaluate your computer security. If not, take a few minutes today to do so. It’s a small task to take care of now, but it can mean big problems if left ignored.
As CNN.com reported, the beginning of December 2013 saw the breaching of over two million passwords from various sites, including Facebook, Twitter, Gmail and LinkedIn. According to the security firm Trustwave, the top five most popular passwords were dangerously weak: 123456, 123456789, 1234, password and 12345.
So how can you make sure you’re not one of the next two million to have their security compromised?
- Fix your passwords. As demonstrated in the latest wide-scale breach, most passwords were not exactly hard to crack. Having a different password for each site you use does not have to be complicated: come up with a personal, easy-to-remember but hard-to-guess formula, like the birthday of one of your kids with their initials for dashes or the name of your childhood pet with your favorite jersey number—anything you can remember, but others won’t be able to.
- Use 2-factor authentication. In addition to setting up your own individual password for a site, 2-factor authentication sends your phone a message whenever your account is logged into from an unfamiliar source. You can then confirm that log-in from your phone—a system that ensures no hacking attempt gets past you.
- Update your antivirus software. Don’t let your valuable information slip away just because you ignored your antivirus notifications one too many times.
Outside of your computer’s antivirus software, it’s up to you to maintain a smart and safe security system. A few minutes now and some updated passwords can mean the difference between a safeguarded computer and a total loss.
