Yawn.
Password reset link?
Your password has been changed?
How many of these texts do I have?
Oh no!
No!
Hello and welcome to DIYin5!
I’m Trisha Hershberger and that opening was way too real for me because, well,
it was real for me and in the recovery process from that nightmare I learned quite a bit
about keeping your online life locked down.
Let’s get into the nitty gritty of securing your online accounts.
If you find the tips in today’s video useful, please give us a Like and Subscribe to this
channel so you don’t miss out on any future tech tips.
Let’s go through some of the easier steps you can take to secure your accounts first.
Go through and delete any old email addresses especially those that might be listed as a
recovery email on any other accounts.
Then, go through and delete any old accounts that you no longer use that might have stored
personal or payment information or even backdoor access to other apps.
A great way to find some of these offenders, if you forgot,
is to log into your Twitter or Facebook and look at all accounts
that have been granted access to your account.
Remove any you aren’t using then go directly to that site and terminate that account just in case.
Old accounts are a prime way to get your information stolen and sometimes you may not even realize
it’s happening because you had forgotten that account even existed!
Another amazing resource is haveibeenpwned.com and that will immediately let you know if
and where your data has been leaked and steps you can take to secure your data.
Most of them are exactly what I will talk about in this video, but still, good info to have.
Next, get a password manager like LastPass or 1Password.
Not only do they create secure passwords for all your accounts, but they also only require
you to remember the one main password.
Now, should anyone ever get that one password and get into your LastPass or 1Password,
that’s a whole separate can of worms, but it’s certainly better than not having any password manager at all.
Google provides a similar service through Chrome and your Gmail account, which is certainly
better than nothing, but it’s not quite as robust as the other two that I mentioned.
Go through the accounts you use frequently, which hold sensitive data,
and enable two-factor authentication wherever possible.
If the account allows you to enable two-factor authentication through an Authenticator app
like Google Authenticator or Authy, that’s better than SMS text messaging two-factor
because people can always SIM swap and receive your text messages that way.
Remove any less secure forms of two-factor authentication like a recovery email
because some sites let hackers bypass more secure two-factor authentication
by choosing the less secure option!
And honestly, while two-factor is good, having a security key is often better.
A security key is a physical tiny device you can keep on a keychain that communicates with
your computer or phone via USB connector, Bluetooth or NFC.
In addition, it’s always a good idea to update your operating systems and software
frequently so you don’t miss out on any security patches.
Make sure that you completely erase any personal data on hardware you are selling.
Your home Wi-Fi should be secured and it’s good to upgrade your router every few years
in case a patch isn’t pushed through leaving you vulnerable.
Obviously, the safest way to go is to not save any private information online at all
but that’s unrealistic.
There are always secure USBs and external drives as options should you want to save
something locally instead of online.
Have you ever had your information hacked?
What did you do recover from it?
What precautions do you take to safeguard your information?
Let us know in the comments below.
My name is Trisha Hershberger and I will see you next time on DIY in 5.