In our time, breaches are a common and unfortunately inevitable phenomenon. However, security researchers have good news for us, ordinary users. There are some easy ways to protect our personal data, which can be effective, although they involve changing the way we think about the security of our data.
The main issue is assuming we are the target. While most ordinary users are not being specifically monitored, software mined from vast amounts of data – augmented by artificial intelligence – can target vast numbers of everyday people almost as easily as any individual. We need to think defensively, about how we can protect ourselves from an almost inevitable attack, rather than assuming we will avoid the risk.
What is most important now?
That said, it is unreasonable and frustrating to think that one must pay attention to every possible avenue of attack. It is better to simplify our approach, focusing primarily on the information we wish to protect.
Starting with the obvious, we make sure our software is up to date. Software companies release updates when they patch security vulnerabilities, but if we don't download and install them in a timely manner, we leave ourselves unprotected from malware. We should also be careful about the links we click in our email or while browsing the Web, as we could inadvertently download malware to our phone or computer or allow hackers to access our online accounts.
When it comes to online data, the most important information to protect is your login credentials for key accounts – like banking, government services, email, and social media. We can’t do much about how well websites and companies protect our information, but we can make it harder for hackers to get into our accounts.
How? The first step is to use a different username and password on each critical website or service, depending on the features they offer us.
The reason for this is simple: When a set of usernames and passwords falls into the wrong hands, hackers know that it’s human nature to repeat usernames and passwords across multiple sites. So they almost immediately start trying those combinations wherever they can—like bank accounts and email services. One information security executive claims that after the Yahoo breach a few years ago, banking sites were hit with multiple attempts to log in with credentials stolen from Yahoo.
Using long passwords
There has been a lot of research on what makes a strong password. This often leads many people to use complex passwords like “7hi5! SMyP @ s4w0rd”. However, more recent research suggests that it is very important for passwords to be long in length. This makes them more resistant when someone tries to guess them by trying many different combinations.
Password management software can be a great help in remembering such passwords.
Using an extra line of defense
To add another layer of protection, many websites (for example, Google) allow us to enable what is called multi-factor authentication. This can be an app on your smartphone that generates a numeric code every 30 seconds or so, or a physical item that plugs into your computer's USB port. However, we should be careful with websites that send a code in the form of a text message, as this method is vulnerable to tracking.
With these simple steps and a new mindset, we will be much safer from the next data breach. Hackers will not have the credentials for all our online accounts. And if we use multi-factor authentication, the bad guys may not even be able to get into the account whose credentials they just stole.
Focusing on what is most important to protect and using simple yet effective methods to protect ourselves and our information can really prove to be very helpful.
