Gerry's Tech Tip of the Month
GERRY HEBERT
How to Protect Your Online Accounts
In the world of social media and online interactions, it is unfortunately easy to fall prey to those who wish to steal your identity or scam you for money. A victim could lose access to every online account they have, from FaceBook to Email to their favorite online games, if they're not careful. Below is a list of things recommended by the US National Cybersecurity Alliance (NCA) that you can do to protect yourself from these pesky and often cruel thieves.
· Enable log-on notifications when your account is accessed.
· Use unique passwords of at least 16 characters.
· Enable two-factor or multi-factor authentication, which requires a second password, code, or biometric input.
· Regularly review your privacy settings, including who sees your posts.
· Watch out for phishing attempts, especially if they seem to come from a social media company.
· Delete any accounts you no longer use so they can't be accessed by a hacker.
If you do find yourself locked out of your account, notify your friends and followers so they don't get caught up in a chain reaction that could result in them also having their accounts taken over.
Then, to safely recover from an account takeover, the best advice is to contact the social media site and regain control of your account directly with them.
· Enable log-on notifications when your account is accessed.
· Use unique passwords of at least 16 characters.
· Enable two-factor or multi-factor authentication, which requires a second password, code, or biometric input.
· Regularly review your privacy settings, including who sees your posts.
· Watch out for phishing attempts, especially if they seem to come from a social media company.
· Delete any accounts you no longer use so they can't be accessed by a hacker.
If you do find yourself locked out of your account, notify your friends and followers so they don't get caught up in a chain reaction that could result in them also having their accounts taken over.
Then, to safely recover from an account takeover, the best advice is to contact the social media site and regain control of your account directly with them.