Philarpy

We all have, at least, one or two online accounts, if not more than two. It could be social network accounts, email, corporate or even those for publishers or bloggers. With news of account exploitation, hacking and other data breaches flooding the internet, it is not difficult for us to be engulfed in the waters of fear.

You may wonder, “Is my account Safe?” or “Do I also stand the risk of my online account being stolen?”  Well, to secure an online account, most depend on the end-user, though some account breaches have been attributed to site administrators. Follow the steps below to learn more tricks in securing your online accounts.

Try as much as possible to avoid using public computers

Public computers, mostly those available at internet cafes, are frequently used by people with diverse intentions. You will never know what someone has set up on such public computers. There is a whole lot of malicious software, including spyware or phishers.

What if someone has secretly installed one to track your path on the computer and your web route? Such malicious apps may be working in the background to track your keyboard inputs as well as how you interact with files and other data on the internet or even local documents.

Using insecure public computers could put your account or data at risk. This is true; because your online account passwords could be tracked, processed or even collected with the aid of hidden malicious programs which may have been installed on such public computers. It is always a bad idea to use public computers for working on sensitive data, be it personal or corporate-oriented.

While the bad guys are increasingly using modern technology for so many dirty games, it is always thinkable to consider our privacy and reweave better means to protect ourselves when it comes to the world of computers, the internet and related technologies.

Possibly, the least to think of, (and of course, a bad idea too) is to consider using public computers to access and work on sensitive data. Using public computers is a real threat to our data security and the protection of your online accounts.

It’s very funny when many people try to use different technologies in attempts to protect their electronic data but ignore, or at least, fail to apply the real basic practices that can work best to protect their online accounts or data.

Build stronger passwords

Here come passwords. I’ve written a complete article on tips for creating stronger passwords.  Interestingly, when faced with ways to build a stronger password, it is best to consider the following: 

• A good password should not be a real dictionary word or a related code
• Do not use anything related to your personal information
• Use lengthy passwords or codes whenever possible
• Build a stronger password with multiple characters combined
• Do not use the same password for multiple accounts

Read 7 Tips for Creating Stronger Passwords

Try two-way authentication

What about that? Well, this is a “two-step” means to verify that an online account is being accessed by the right person. This includes a code entry stage that acts as a secondary verification after passwords are successfully authenticated for a specific account.

This digital security enforcement makes sure it is the real person behind the account and not someone with a stolen password. A typical example is the Facebook Login Approval (code generator).

Facebook Login Approval (Second Authentication)

A Facebook account user who has activated this extra security feature does so with their verified mobile phone number. In this case, when a password is successfully accepted by the system, a code is generated which is sent to the user by means of SMS on the verified phone number.

The user is then required to enter the code received for final approval. In other instances, the user may only need to approve from another logged-in device preconfigured to authenticate user logins.

This is very useful these days because news of password-stealing continues to make headlines in the news. Consider an instance where somebody’s password has been stolen. It could be used along with the username or email which is mostly available publicly to gain access to the target account.

Hence in the presence of a two-way (step) authentication, nobody can easily gain access to another’s account even with a stolen password. Where convenient, check your account settings to see if your account provider allows two-step account verification and activate it to add another layer of security to your online account.

However, hackers are very skilful at their games. Even in such instances, they may call the phone numbers associated with the account to be stolen, playing to be a technical staff at the account provider’s office. They may pose as someone who needs to work on technical issues and coerce the user to give them the code or authenticate from the user’s end, aiming to be granted the necessary approval to work on the target user’s account.

Always be smart; no technical staff will call to demand any information, whatsoever it is, from any user by voice calls, SMS or even Emails. Do not compromise your online security!

Never leave your PC or account logged in when you are off

When leaving your work desk, even for a second with your computer off sight, always lock your computer screen so that nobody gets access to any onscreen information. You never know who is in the background spying on you to take the least chance to rob you of your valuable data.

People can be very smart at computer technology and can even install malicious software just in seconds when you are off. These can, later, be used to track or steal valuable account information and data.

When using corporate accounts try to avoid using external assistance

When you are off-post never seek assistance from people you are not familiar with, within your working environment. In your quest to seek assistance from them, you may give sensitive information about yourself or your corporate account. As you know, when in trouble, you sometimes become emotionally unstable and making such mistakes are very common in such a state.

I mean you want to get things done at the neck of time, your computer or account faces technical trouble, frustrated? Yes, that’s it! In an attempt to get things up and running again, you may need assistance and if you encounter the wrong person, you are doomed!

As noted earlier, cyber thieves are smart and when they get you in such instances, they may cunningly persuade you to reveal certain sensitive information or data some of which may be connected to your corporate identity.

This can be used to start something fishy―to attack your business or corporate account if they have intentions to do so. In rare cases too, the opposite can happen to technical staff. When hackers know you are off duty as technical staff, they may continuously be calling you, playing as a staff member frustrated with technical issues related to their account.

Acting as a coworker needing your assistance in an emergency, you may be lured into giving assistance that requires sensitive information related to the target business account and that’s it.

Avoid browser password saving

While it is not always a bad idea to allow browsers to save your passwords on secured personal computers for future use, sometimes, this can impose some serious security concerns. What if somebody gets the sync details related to the browser like a password and an email account? That is it.

All accounts synced on that device with your other connected devices may be accessed. Unless you know what you are doing, never allow password saving for browsers. Not to talk of those related to public computers, of course, I know you may not even think of that, let alone try it. Always be on guard when working with apps that offer to save passwords and other login credentials.

While account breaches are common, to some extent not completely avoidable, taking the right steps will prevent them from happening to you and your precious organization. Always be alert and look for other smart ways to stay protected.

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