These tips will help you to safeguard your digital accounts.
1) Never store passwords in these: your email, an Excel spreadsheet, a Word document, the Notes app on your phone, ANY cloud based password storage solution. The reasons are legion, but here are a few: these are far too easy to search, most lack encryption in the event your PC or phone is stolen, this is where everyone else stores their passwords. Instead use a program like KeePass.
2) Never store passwords in your web browser.
3) Never transact financial business on a public network such as a hotel or restaurant Wi-Fi. I would always do this from a computer wired to the internet. If you must connect you are better off using the cellular network than connecting to free Wi-Fi.
4) Don’t use any computer or device that you do not own.
5) Use multifactor authentication. This adds a level of security that requires you have something like your cell phone, in addition to knowing something like your password.
6) Each account should have a different password and they should all be impossible to remember. Again this is where KeePass comes in handy.
7) Never click a link or call a number sent to you from a service provider. Always go to their site to reset passwords or update information.
8) Update relentlessly, except the latest new OS or iOS which can be buggy. Manufacturers are always releasing fixes to security flaws.
