As part of your new year’s resolution, it is a good idea to get your online security a fresh start in 2024. With cyber threats becoming an unfortunate norm these days, it's time to enhance your cyber hygiene to protect yourself from becoming a cybercrime victim this year. Change all your online account passwords, especially financial/banking, shopping, social media accounts. The following is a list of things to consider.
- Change your passwords (also change username if permitted)
- Enable password-less logins if available.
- If you don’t have 2F enabled, make sure to enable it.
- If the site supports stronger 2-factor mechanisms, like Authenticator app or better yet hardware key based, use that instead of SMS based 2-factor; While SMS based is better than just password alone, it is prone to attacks like SIM swap scams
- Validate your recovery mechanisms.
- Reset recovery app keys (if any)
- Validate recovery e-mail.
- Reset onetime login codes.
- Last but not least, invalidate all logins (i.e. log out from all devices and log back in). Though this step may be enforced by the password change, some sites don’t enforce it.
Remember, cyber hygiene is like flossing, not the most glamorous, but essential for long-term digital health. This year, make your online security a resolution you actually stick to. Have a safe 2024 and beyond!
