Verizon's recent data breach investigation shows 76% of hacks are caused by weak or stolen passwords. Despite cyberattacks becoming more sophisticated, the majority of the hacks can be prevented by by following simple security measures. Two security experts, Blue Coat's chief security officer, Hugh Thompson and Backblaze's CEO Gleb Budman share five tips to make ourselves less vulnerable to hackers.
1. Don't use real answers to security questions.
What's your mother's maiden name, where were you born, what's your favorite color. All those things are typically easy to find out with a little bit of digging. Use something made up and that's not searchable online.
2. Rethink what you share online.
Sit in the hacker's chair for a moment and imagine the people that are looking at your social media feeds and want to cause you harm. Social media gives attackers the ability to custom craft emails and phone calls that are personailized just to you. Just give your tweet a second thought before you publish.
3. Use different passwords for every site.
One of the most common hacks is to finding the easiest place to hack into and using that to get into everything else. Often people will use the same password for a website they just are just getting something free but also use that same password on their bank account. Use a password manager like 1Password so you only have to remember one password and it will remember all the other ones for you. This allows you to create complex passwords.
4. Beware of shorten phishing links.
With the advent of shorten links on Facebook and Twitter, it's hard to tell where the end destination is. The goal of phishing messages is to get the user to click on a link and often times that link can come from someone you know or trust.
5. Cover your passwords.
Hackers don't always need advanced technology to get people's passwords. At cafes, schools, and conferences people often type their password in clear view. Just be sensitive to what's happening around you.