Don't Be a Sitting Duck: How to Protect Your Online Accounts from Attackers
Introduction
Protecting your online accounts is essential in today's world where online attackers can easily target you and steal your identity or personal information. This is why I'll be sharing some tips and strategies to keep your online accounts secure.
Inspiration
My concern for online security heightened after listening to a podcast called “Darknet diaries.” It featured several stories about online security breaches, including Donald Trump’s account being hacked through a LinkedIn database breach which allowed attackers to obtain all this other accounts. But the most impactful story was about how the first users of Twitter with rare simple usernames like “Adam” or “John“ were constantly attacked, with some even getting swatted or killed. This made me realize the danger of online attacks and the need to educate people about protecting themselves.
Strategies to Protect Your Accounts:
- Create a Burner Email: To make it difficult for attackers to associate your email with your identity, create a burner email. Use a name that is not easily identifiable, and make sure to use a simple password. Later on, you can use a password manager to create a unique and complex password.
- Use a Password Manager: A password manager like Bitwarden can help you store and manage all your passwords securely. Bitwarden is free and open-source, making it a reliable option.
- Secure Your Burner Email with Bitwarden: After creating your burner email, add it to your password manager and generate a new unique password using Bitwarden. Then, go to your email and reset your password to the new unique password from Bitwarden. This way, the only way to sign in to your burner email is through Bitwarden.
- Start Securing Other Accounts: You can start securing your other accounts by changing your passwords and storing them securely in Bitwarden. Also, remove any phone numbers associated with your accounts as attackers can find ways to hack into your account.
Additional Security Measures:
- Store your master password and recovery codes on paper and keep them in a secure place.
- Use Bitwarden Premium: Bitwarden Premium provides additional features like Yubikey and Timed One Time Passwords (TOTP) for better security. It's only $8 annually, making it a cost-effective option.
- Use Yubikey: Yubikey is a hardware authentication device that adds an extra layer of security to your accounts.
Detailed Guide
If you're looking for a more comprehensive guide on how to secure your online accounts, be sure to check out my article which provides detailed steps and strategies.
Conclusion
Protecting your online accounts is essential to keep your personal information safe. By following these strategies and additional security measures, you can keep your accounts secure from online attackers. Introduction
Back to Home here.