5 Steps for a Safer Online Experience

How much time do you spend online in a typical day? Maybe you check emails first thing in the morning, and turn to news-related apps or websites to catch up on the latest happenings. As your day goes along, you might shop online, video chat with family and friends, see how your investments are doing, conduct some online banking, etc. After work (which you probably spent online for much of it), you might use an app to order dinner, book a ride or buy tickets to an event. Maybe you’ll unwind in the evening by streaming a movie or your favorite shows, and jump on social media to consume content or post something. Chances are, you spend more time online than that, but you get the idea.

Since modern society has become increasingly digital in nature, we place ourselves and our personal information in a vulnerable position. Unfortunately, bad actors all over the world understand our vulnerability and constantly try to take advantage of the situation. While we cannot eliminate the risk entirely, through the strategies and action items listed below, we can protect ourselves and reduce our exposure to risk. Your personal information belongs to you. Let’s keep it that way.

Step 1: Passwords

Pretty much every website, app and account you use starts with a login and password. The password is the first and most important step of your online identity. Beyond avoiding the classic mistakes like using “password” or “123456” as our passwords, we can do much more online to protect ourselves. Try to use unique passwords for each website and include a mix of letters, numbers and symbols. Also change your passwords regularly, and avoid using a piece of paper or online file to store your passwords, which can be easily stolen by criminals.

Instead, consider using a password manager to generate and remember different, complex passwords for every account.¹Whether online on your computer or through an app on your phone or tablet, password managers can create complex passwords for you and securely store these passwords and logins across your accounts.

Step 2: Multi-factor authentication

These days, we’ve moved beyond simply receiving SMS-based codes as the preferred method of adding security during the login/verification process. While such codes are better than passwords alone, they also present risks, such as being sent to the wrong phone number or being intercepted by a cybercriminal who can gain control of your account if they collect enough relevant data. As well, since SMS messages are not encrypted, hackers can exploit this vulnerability and steal your code.

That’s why authenticator apps are gaining popularity. Versions offered by Google and Microsoft have been widely adopted, but similar apps can be just as convenient and reliable. An authenticator app generates secure one-time codes with short expiry periods. All you need to do is enter the code on your device. This form of multi-factor authentication is superior to SMS codes delivered via phone network.

Another form of protection during the verification process is the use of biometrics. For example, you can unlock your mobile device or access an app simply by applying your fingerprint, scanning your face, making a voice command, or other ways that are unique to you and cannot be misused by criminals.

Step 3: Be vigilant

Unfortunately, using safe and secure passwords, a password manager and multi-factor authentication are not always enough to protect your identity online. We must also be constantly vigilant of our personal information, using a combination of tools and safe practices to do so. Start by checking your accounts often for unusual behavior, and sign up to receive regular updates on movements or transactions in your bank and brokerage accounts.

If you need to print anything or receive something sensitive in the mail, store those documents in a safe place until they’re no longer needed, and then shred them. As well, if you don’t have a locking mailbox at your residence, it’s a good idea to retrieve your mail as soon as possible after it’s delivered. Opportunists can steal your mail and gain access to all kinds of confidential data that they may then use to compromise your identity and cause you financial hardship. A doorbell camera (or similar device) may help deter criminals from approaching your mailbox, or at least record them stealing mail so you can include the video evidence if filing a police report.

Another way to stay vigilant is to sign up for free annual credit reports from each of the three major consumer reporting companies—Equifax, Experian and TransUnion² (required by federal law)—by visiting www.annualcreditreport.com. Federal law gives you the right to obtain a free copy of your credit report every 12 months from each of these three nationwide credit bureaus.³ You may request to receive all three reports at once, or cycle through them, requesting a free credit report from a different company every four months. To supplement your free credit reports, you can sign up for a credit monitoring service. You’ll receive alerts when someone checks your credit history, when you (or other people) try to apply for or take out a new line of credit, or whenever your credit limit changes. Most likely you will only receive an alert when you change something related to your credit (a good thing), but if someone does open (or attempts to open) an unauthorized line of credit, for example, you’ll be alerted immediately.

Step 4: Protect yourself

Posting about yourself online puts your (and potentially your family’s or friends’) personal information at risk, so be careful what intimate and identifying details you share online about your life. Tidbits like your birthday, anniversary, home town or travel details belong to you and, if you choose to share, with your connections online. Know that personal information can allow bad actors to more easily steal your identity or money. Be careful with whom you share your Social Security number; organizations that do need your Social Security number won’t call, email or text you to ask for it.⁴

Make sure your privacy settings are up to date so you’re only sharing that information with those who need to see it. For personal information that you’d like to stay completely private, avoid using free public Wi-Fi. Most of the time, free public Wi-Fi is unsecured and easily hackable, allowing others using the same network to also access your activity.⁵ Accessing personal information like your bank account is best done from the safety of your own home, not in the airport surrounded by strangers.

Step 5: Protect your devices

Okay, so you’ve created secure passwords, set up multi-factor authentication, used the proper tools to stay vigilant online and protected your personal information. Now what? The last step we’ll discuss is additional protection for the devices that hold your information. Install reputable antivirus and anti-spyware software, and make sure your firewall is turned on.⁶ The antivirus software will run in the background of your device, constantly checking for malware and viruses. The anti-spyware software prevents unwanted spyware programs from being installed, and removes unauthorized installations if necessary. The firewall will monitor traffic on your network. All three programs are important to have and should give you some peace of mind as they run in the background of your device, constantly protecting you and your information. If you own a business, purchasing cybersecurity insurance will help protect your business from liability regarding a data breach of your customers’ personal information.⁷ Clearing your browsing history and cache on a regular basis also helps protect your devices by shielding your personal information from being used against you, and from advertisers tracking your every move around the internet.

Online safety is too important to ignore

In summary, to help protect your information online, start with strong and complex passwords, use multi-factor authentication whenever possible, and use a password manager to secure them. Next, be vigilant with your information by constantly monitoring your accounts, signing up for free credit monitoring and annual free credit reports, and carefully shredding/disposing of any paper documents you no longer need. Be mindful regarding what you post about yourself online and don’t use free public Wi-Fi to do banking or other financially (or personally) sensitive activities. Protect your devices by installing antivirus software, firewalls and anti-spyware. Lastly, routinely clear your cache and browsing history, and take out a cybersecurity insurance policy if you run a business.

Of course, there are more things you can do to stay safer online, but these five steps are a good start. Determined criminals will always try to stay at least one move ahead of you, but by following the tips outlined in this article, we believe you can drastically improve the chances that your personal information online stays safely where it should belong.

¹https://www.nytimes.com/guides/privacy-project/how-to-protect-your-digital-privacy 
² https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/how-do-i-get-a-copy-of-my-credit-reports-en-5/ 
³ https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/free-credit-reports 
⁴ https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-know-about-identity-theft 
⁵ https://www.chubb.com/us-en/individuals-families/resources/6-ways-to-protect-your-personal-information-online.html 
⁶ https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesfinancecouncil/2020/04/27/13-tips-to-help-protect-your-online-financial-information/?sh=ee057e914d63 
⁷ https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/small-businesses/cybersecurity/cyber-insurance

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