Photo by Arvin Keynes on Unsplash
The likelihood of a hacker specifically targeting you may be small. However, it is possible. And even if you were not the target, you may become a victim anyway. Luckily for you, it really is not difficult to protect yourself. In this blog post, I am sharing 5 essential tips that will help you to protect your privacy and data online and make a hacker’s life harder.
1: Use Up-to-date Software and a Virus Scanner
The easiest and most important way to protect yourself is to make sure that you use up-to-date software. Hackers are often successful because they exploit vulnerabilities that are fixed in software updates. Check regularly if there are new updates available for your devices, install them as soon as possible and enable automatic updates when possible.
If your device no longer receives updates, you should consider buying a new device as your current device will become more vulnerable to security risks and viruses.
In addition, a virus scanner is recommended. Even though most infections happen on Windows computers, it is also recommended if you are using a Mac. It is worth it to pay for a virus scanner as the paid versions often include additional protection. Good options are Kaspersky Anti-Virus, ESET and F-Secure Anti-Virus. Keep in mind that there are often student discounts available*. And if you cannot afford a paid version, you can install the free version of AVG.
2: Use Complex Passwords and Password Managers
Almost every app or website requires you to create an account with a password. Although using one password for multiple accounts helps you remember your passwords, it is not very safe. A hacker should not be able to access your bank account or mailbox with your Facebook or Netflix password.
If you do not use the same password twice, chances are that your passwords are not as complicated as they should be. You are not alone. The internet security firm SplashData publishes an annual list of the 25 most common passwords, which are based on millions of leaked passwords. Since 2013, the most common password was “123456”, followed by “password”.
Fortunately, there is a solution: password managers. A password manager is a digital vault that keeps your passwords safe. The app can quickly create a very strong and complicated password such as “XHu#Qu*D9*j^0NU2K3p#Hs”. The best thing? You will only need to remember one password to access all your passwords. Just make sure you do not forget this password, or you will lose access to your vault. If you worry that this might happen to you, write this password down and keep it in a safe offline place.
Good password managers are 1Password (paid: starting from €3.21 per month, 1 month free trial**) and LastPass (free / paid: starting from €2.67/month, 6 months free Premium for students). Both password managers offer a free trial of their premium version, which is a nice way to try them out. As soon as you are convinced to use a password manager, strongly consider the paid version as this includes two-factor authentication and allows you to store your data on EU servers only***.
3: Check for Stolen Passwords
Even if you have very strong passwords, they could still get stolen by hackers. That is why it is important to regularly check if one of your accounts or passwords is compromised. The website Have I Been Pwned, a project of Troy Hunt, keeps track of hacked websites and data breaches and informs you when your email was found in one of the data breaches. Simply enter your email address and check if you have an account that has been compromised in a data breach. If so, immediately change your passwords of all accounts that use the compromised password. Furthermore, sign up for the free Have I Been Pwned notification service and get notified in the future when one of your accounts is compromised.
If you have not used Have I Been Pwned before, let me know in the comments how many times your passwords were found.
4: Turn on Two-Factor Authentication
Turn on two-factor authentication (2FA). It will limit the impact of a stolen password. How does it work? After entering your username and password, you will be asked to complete a second step. Generally, you are asked to enter a code that is sent to your smartphone via a text message, voice call or an authentication app. For most people, receiving the code via a text message is enough. However, it is even safer to use an authenticator app.
With two-factor authentication, even if your password is stolen, a hacker would also need the additional code that is sent to your phone. Although you may think it feels a bit inconvenient at times, two-factor authentication makes it unlikely that someone can access your account. Popular services that support two-factor authentication include Apple, Google, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Twitter and Dropbox. A longer list can be found here.
5: Cover Your Webcam and Be Aware of Your Surroundings
As Co-Founder of CamHatch, I really cannot stress this enough: cover your webcam. Hackers can spy on you using your webcam. A simple post-it or sticker should be enough to prevent intimate photos or videos of you appearing online. If you want a more elegant and convenient solution, consider a webcam cover such as the CamHatch webcam cover.
Furthermore, be aware of your surroundings. If you are on the phone, can anyone hear any personal information such as your date of birth or address? If you are using your smartphone, tablet or laptop in a public space, such as a library or on a train, can anyone see the information on your screen or what you are typing?
Great Sources for More Information
Great sources that were used for this article and that I can recommend if you want to learn more are:
Laat Je Niet Hack Maken (NL) / Watch Your Hack (EN) by Daniel Verlaan
Internetvrijheid Toolbox (NL) by Bits of Freedom
Have I Been Pwned by Troy Hunt
Do you have any questions, comments or suggestions? Let me know in the comments below!
Footnotes
* As a student in the Netherlands, SURFspot is a great not-for-profit ICT online store that offers special educational discounts. If you are studying outside the Netherlands, try looking online for student discounts.
** You can sign up for a free 30 day trial at 1password.eu.
*** I strongly recommend choosing to store your data on EU servers if you are from the EU:
• LastPass: Go to lastpass.eu/use_eu.php after creating your account.
• 1Password: 1Password does this automatically if you create an account on their European website.
Very interesting read! Thanks for the useful tips!
First of all, thank you for all the tips and advise. Especially the ‘Have I been Pwned’ website was insightful!
What I’m missing though, in terms of privacy, is the mentioning of all the data we blindly consent to share in order to use certain apps, platforms, website or services.
As a sixth point I would have liked to see you stress that we should be more vigilant with checking the ‘I agree with all terms and conditions’-box. Of course no one will actually read all terms and conditions all the time, but you could have advised us that we should think more critically about what data we would be sharing, when using a(n) app/platform/website/service.
A good example is the panic that arose surrounding the FaceApp, when the suggestion went viral that Russia was using the app to collect data for face-recognition or -identification software. It turned out to be a storm in a tea-cup (Brewster, 2019), but precisely that shows how few people actually know what data they are sharing with their own consent and what could be done with that data.
Brewster (2019): https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2019/07/17/faceapp-is-the-russian-face-aging-app-a-danger-to-your-privacy/
Heyy~really nice and useful topic! Data privacy has been a long-term topic for online safety. I always want to find some useful tips to protect my online data, so thanks very much for the useful tips!! I updated my software immediately after reading haha