It seems like every week we learn about a data breach or misuse of personal information. How do you know if your personal information is compromised? Unfortunately, you most likely won’t know unless it becomes apparent. Here are some steps that can be taken to minimize your risk of becoming a target to these types of breaches:
Create a strong password. Using a password manager like LastPass will give you a secure location to keep your passwords stored so you don’t forget them. These types of tools will also generate unique passwords (with letters, numbers, and symbols) to use for websites. Password managers help reduce the risk of using poor or weak passwords that are easy to decode. If you wish to create and manage your own passwords, be sure to use long, complex passwords that cannot be guessed by an outside source, and be sure to use different passwords across your various websites and applications.
Use two-factor authentication. Passwords may not be enough for some websites. If apps and programs have two-factor authentication, you should enable this feature. This allows you to securely log into a website without just having guessed the password correctly. Two-factor authentication can include receiving a message (via text or email) with a temporary code, or answering a question that you’ve previously put in place.
Use security questions. Although this is a nice tool to have in place, it’s not the most effective. Considering that the internet holds so much data about our lives, questions like “birthplace” or “high school attended” could be found online. If you choose to put security questions into effect, make your answer as strong as a password (with symbols, capitalization, and numbers) to deter someone from guessing it correctly.
Check your social media settings. It may be a smart idea to check the settings on your social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn), to see what data they are sharing with third-parties. If you mainly use these outlets for interaction between family and friends, then keeping the bare minimum of information shared externally might be ideal. Do these apps need access to your location? Do they need access to your photos? Check to see if they are sharing your browsing history with analytics companies; you can opt out of these in your settings.
While these are just a few of the preliminary steps that you can take, it doesn’t hurt to ensure that you’re giving yourself as much safety as possible. Each time you download a new app to your phone, be sure to check the settings for any hidden accessibility options that are automatically enabled when you first run the app. It may be that you do not agree with the information that is captured (and possibly shared), so be wary about which apps you choose to put on your phone, device, or computer.