The Internet has transformed over the last two decades, starting out as nothing more than a simple communications network to completely changing the world. Billions of people make use of the online sphere on a daily basis, and never before have people had access to such a powerful tool. As the Internet has grown in size and popularity, so too have a number of digital threats. These includes malicious 3rd parties who are constantly attempting to break into accounts and steal personal and financial data.
Fortunately, there are a number of methods that the average use can utilise to protect their data as well as their online accounts.
Passwords Are Important
Passwords acts as keys to most accounts, and any locksmith will agree that the more complex the key, the less likely anyone is able to pick the lock. This is the same for passwords – the more complex a password is, the lower the chance that anyone will be able to brute force it and gain access to an account. Passwords should ideally be at least 8 characters long, and should consist of a range of different letters, numbers, and symbols. Using a password generator is highly recommended, and for those who don’t trust generators, the Diceware password method is also advised.
Password Managers
Keeping track of dozens of different passwords, especially complex ones, it’s just about impossible for most people. Writing it down might be tempting, but the paper might get lost, destroyed, or even stolen. The best way to keep passwords in a single place is by using a password manager. There are plenty to choose from, but most security experts recommend the Bitwarden password manager. Bitwarden is an open source platform with software available for Windows, Linux, Android, and iOS, and allows cross-device synchronisation. It also comes with its own password generator, as well as an integrated TOTP service.
Email Aliases
One of the most common forms of data breach is having email addresses lost to a 3rd party. This means that if a particular email is used for a lot of different services, there’s a good chance that there will be many attempts to use this password to try and break into accounts. One of the best ways around this is by making use of an email alias. SimpleLogin and Anonaddy are both highly recommended email alias services that allow users to create different aliases depending on the account that they are using, whether it’s for a new site or to play lucky creek games. The great thing about this is that even if one of the aliases is compromised, the attacker won’t be able to use that email for any other account, providing a stronger degree of privacy.
Multi-Factor Authentication
Multi-factor authentication is a second layer of security over and above a password. There are different ways of doing this, but the most common is using an authenticator app, such as Aegis Authenticator. 6-digit numbers will be needed in order to log into the account, making it virtually impossible for anyone else to gain access.
