Tech Check-Up Part 1
It’s been a while since I’ve been in touch, in fact the last time I contributed a piece on Tidelines was two years ago in April 2022. In that post I provided tips on how to avoid being a victim of an online scam. In this new series of posts I will emphasize the importance of protecting your online identity, challenge you to assess whether your online presence is secure, and suggest ways to back up your documents and data.
How strong or weak do you think you are when it comes to protecting your online identity? Your online identity is your digital footprint on the internet, containing details such as your email address, date of birth, bank information, and even purchasing habits from online stores. Just like the doctor recommends ways for maintaining good physical health, computer experts recommend ways to protect your online identity against threats in an online world.
Let’s take a look at two-factor authentication (2FA), a must have tool that needs to be turned on and enabled for your most used and sensitive online accounts. Two-factor authentication is a security system that requires two different forms of identification to access something such as an account or application.
Since hackers can find back-door ways into unsecure online systems, user passwords – even hard to guess ones – can be stolen. This is where two-factor authentication comes into play. If someone logs into your account from a new device, oftentimes the site will also require a security code that is sent to another trusted device or account. This is generally a text message to the cell phone number on file to ensure that it is the account holder trying to login. If you’ve ever gotten a new phone, tablet or computer, or perhaps cleared out your cookies and browsing history, you would often be faced with doing this. Although it may be annoying at times, two-factor authentication truly does reduce the risk of being hacked.
The most important accounts for 2FA, in order of importance, are:
- Email Accounts
Your email address is similar to our SSN in that it identifies you. Your email is often used when you need to reset passwords. If a hacker can get into your email and observe and control what comes in and out, then in theory they can reset any other type of online account by simply going to the site they want to gain entry to and requesting a password reset. If you use Google’s Gmail you probably already have 2FA turned on. Many other email providers started requiring 2FA years ago to reduce the number of hacked email addresses.
- Banking and Investment Accounts
These types of accounts often make you enroll in 2FA due to the nature of what the account is doing for you. It never hurts to double check the settings inside your bank’s official website and navigate to the security settings to turn on any extra security that the company recommends. - Online Shopping Sites
I’m basically saying Amazon! I haven’t met a single person who didn’t have an Amazon account established. Hackers can assume that an account they gain access to may be linked to Amazon. The world’s largest online merchant averages about nine to ten million online orders per day. If a hacker can sneak a fraudulent order from a compromised Amazon account, then they have a good chance of getting free items sent to them and not have to pay a single penny. Check your other online merchants such as those for your prescription meds and chewy.com. Anything that is delivered to you as a recurring order needs to be checked for 2FA protection. - Social Media Accounts
Sites like Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, NextDoor, Pinterest, and any site where people “gather” virtually are strong candidates to protect with 2FA. While there may not be much for a hacker to gain monetarily, someone who hacks your Facebook account can contact your friends and family to impersonate you. Such hackers generally want to send suspicious links to other shady and questionable websites that can load viruses and spyware on devices. Enable 2FA on any social media site that you spend time navigating. - File Storage Sites
One might refer to these sites as simply “the Cloud”. If you own any modern gadget, chances are you are storing your personal files onto that provider’s storage site. For instance:
-Apple devices are commonly auto-programmed to store your contacts, calendar, photos, and other things to the iCloud.
-PCs running Microsoft Windows can often push users to store documents, pictures, etc. to Microsoft’s OneDrive.
-Others may have the popular app Dropbox loaded that they choose to utilize instead.
Regardless of which file storage site you use,
you need 2FA turned on for those accounts.
A hacker who can get into these accounts with little effort could decide to remove your important files and try to convince you to pay a ransom to get those files back. There’s very little these companies can do for you if you are the victim of a ransomware attack. Take my word for it. Don’t be a victim of ransomware. For example, a bank could possibly refund your money if a fraudulent charge is made (they have the means necessary), but a cloud provider may not be able to restore your precious memories from photos, or restore the words of an important document that you spent years creating. (Future authors typing the next New York Times Best Seller, I’m talking to you specifically).
BACKUP, BACKUP, BACKUP is something I’ve stressed for years. This should be a no-brainer by now, but all systems need a backup. Accidents happen. Devices fail.
Computers are best served by plugging in an external hard drive and using the operating system’s built-in backup program to copy your files to that separate hard drive. Tablets and phones of course don’t have the ports to plug in hard drives, but most of these devices have their backup feature somewhere inside the settings of the devices which should be turned on, even if you have to pay a monthly premium to do it. Online companies like Carbonite and Norton can offer flat-rate costs to backup multiple devices.
Whatever you choose, choose something!
Check with your financial institution, online shopping account , email account, social media and backup company to find out how to set up 2FA. It can be as easy as receiving a text with a passcode.
That’s all for now. Next time, in Part 2, we’ll continue the list and look further into strengthening and securing your online self.
-Submitted Chad Droze chad@compu-experts.com
(Image credit: freepik,com