With 2019 just around the corner, it's time to plan our resolutions for the new year. Since 2018 seemed like a year of constant hacks, cyber attacks, and data breaches, here are the top ten resolutions you can take to be digitally secure in the new year.
1. Protect Your Passwords
First and foremost, you should change your passwords to be long and complex (at least 10 characters, uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols). You should absolutely change them right now if any of yours is on the list of the most popular passwords of 2018. Also, you shouldn't have any of your usernames and passwords written on paper or in a file on your computer. It's much too easy for people to see or steal them.
Since the average person has several different accounts, usernames, and passwords, it is very difficult to remember all of them. The best option is to use a password manager. With a password manager, you only have to remember one master password. All your other usernames and passwords are remembered by the password manager. It works like this: you use your master password to log in to the password manager. When you get to a website, the password manager automatically fills in your username and password for that website. Password managers will also generate long, complex, and different passwords for your accounts to further increase security. Note: once you install a new password manager, let it change all your passwords to ones it generates. Also, password managers will sync your usernames and passwords across multiple devices. Your master password should be long and complex, but that's the only password you'll need to remember. The two best password managers are Dashlane and LastPass, and both have excellent free versions.
2. Strengthen Your Security Questions
Many websites will ask you security questions as a way to further secure your account. However, people may be able to guess the answers to your security questions. How can they guess? They can research you online to find out past addresses, schools, relatives, marriages (maiden names), etc. They can check your social media to find out the names of your pets, hobbies, interests, etc. An easy way to make your security questions un-guessable is to include a secret character (number, letter, or symbol) before or after your answer. For example, if it asks for your mother's maiden name, then your answer could be !Smith or SmithX. You should update all your security answers to include this secret character.
3. Use Two-factor Authentication
So, you're using a password manager to not only remember your usernames, but also to remember and use long, complex, and different passwords for all your accounts. Great! However, these could still be breached. It's virtually impossible for a person or even a supercomputer to guess the long, complex passwords randomly generated by these password managers, but there is still a microscopic chance. That's why you need to use two-factor authentication (TFA). Most commonly, this is set up through your phone. Once you enter an account's username and password, the website will send a code to your phone that you have to enter on the website as a final step to log in securely. Even if somebody has managed to figure out your username and password, they won't have the code that was sent to your phone. Unless your phone was stolen, which brings me to the next resolution.
4. Secure Your Phone
Forget fingerprint and face locks on your phone. Those can be easily breached. If you don't believe me, then read this article, this one, this one, and this one. The most secure way to protect your phone is through a PIN or password because only you can know it. Make sure you don't use easy-to-guess PINs or passwords. Yes, this is another one to remember, but, if you also use a password manager, then you only have two things to remember: the master password to your password manager and the PIN/password to your phone. That's absolutely do-able. If there's an option to encrypt your phone, do it. Finally, set up the "Find My Phone/Device" feature on your phone, so if it were ever lost or stolen, you can try to find it or remotely lock/wipe it.
5. Change Your Router and Home Network Username and Password
I bet I could log in to most people's home router. Why? Most people don't change the default username and password for their home routers. I can just go to routerpasswords.com and find the default username and password for any router I want. Once logged in to your router, I could do all sorts of nefarious things to your network and devices. Yet, I would never do that because I'm a good guy. But, to keep out the bad guys, you should change the default username and password to your router to something that's hard to guess. It's okay to write down this information somewhere safe. Finally, make sure you have a tough-to-guess password for your home network/Wi-Fi.
6. Use an Antivirus Program
Don't bother with free antivirus programs because they often don't have necessary features, such as real-time threat monitoring and prevention. It's worth spending the $50 or so per year to protect your devices. The only ones I recommend are Webroot, Bitdefender, and Avast.
7. Use uBlock Origin
Trackers, malware, potentially unwanted programs (PUPs), and other nasty digital stuff can lurk in ads and pop-ups online. The best adblock extension you can use is uBlock Origin. Not only will it block these bad things, but it will make browsing the web a cleaner, faster, and more enjoyable experience.
8. Do Updates
Keeping your devices and programs updated is one of the simplest, easiest, and best ways to increase security. Software engineers, developers, and even white hat hackers are constantly on the lookout for vulnerabilities and creating patches to fix them. Updates will also enhance the performance of your devices and programs, so make sure to install those updates. You can even set updates to install automatically, so that's one fewer thing to remember. You can usually find update preferences in the "Settings" app or menu of a device or program. Finally, make sure to turn your devices off and on a couple times a week. This will help with updates and give the devices a chance to "reset" to fix or prevent some issues.
9. Lock Your Computer
Even if you've followed all these resolutions, your computer will still be vulnerable if you log in to it and then walk away. Anyone can then use it while you're gone. A quick and easy way to prevent this is to lock it. If you need to leave your computer, press the Windows key (looks like a four-pane window next to the Alt key) and the L key at the same time. This will lock your computer and require your password to unlock it. To unlock it, press Ctrl, Alt, and Del at the same time as you normally would to log in, and then enter your password. Many organizations and businesses take this very seriously and will "write up" or discipline employees who leave computers or other devices logged in and unlocked.
10. Think Before You Click
Finally, think before you click on something: a link, a picture, a download button, an attachment, etc. Take a moment to pause and question if it's safe. Does it look legitimate? Is there anything off or sketchy about it (incorrect grammar, sensationalism, bright/flashing animation, "too-good-to-be-true"-ness, etc.)? Does it come from a secure and trusted source? You can mouse over a link (without clicking) to see where it leads. Don't download or install anything unless you know it comes from a safe, trusted, and secure source. When it doubt, close it out. And never ever give out usernames, passwords, account information, or any other personal/private information to any unknown, untrusted, or questionable people or services online.
The end of the year is also a good time to clean out and organize your emails. Here is a post I wrote about five steps you can take to have a better email experience.
I wish you all a happy, healthy, and secure New Year!
