13 Ways to Help Protect Yourself from Getting Hacked

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Blog Hacking

June 2024

So you want to learn how to prevent hacking? Well, join the club! With all the data breaches in the news, and constantly evolving hacking methods being invented by cyber fraudsters, more and more of us are on the lookout for identity thieves and e-criminals.

The good news: there are some straightforward ways to change your digital behavior and old habits. So, without further adieu, let’s jump into it.

1. Install anti-virus software

Install high-quality anti-virus software and check for the latest anti-virus patches and fixes to install. Today’s malware changes appearance so often, it can be like a digital shape-shifter, so be sure to install the latest versions.

2. Use two-factor authorization

Hackers use password resets or social engineering to get into your various accounts—which means that passwords on their own aren’t enough. You need multi-factor authentication (MFA) to give you more needed protection. A fraudulent attempt at a login triggers an authentication code sent to your phone or e-mail, so it really helps with keeping hackers at bay.

3. Learn how to help spot hacking attempts

Phishing attacks – When you get an email, be wary if you’re being asked to click something—they’re often scams. Only download files, or click on things, when they were sent from someone you know and trust—not from scammers.

Spam texts – These are also known as phishing texts and are sent by hackers who try to get you to click on a link or give away personal details like your banking or credit card info, or even your Social Security number.

Spam emails – These are unsolicited emails that hackers send to the masses in an effort to get recipients to click on malware or phishing websites.

4. Keep your software updated

You’re always vulnerable to an attack, so update and download the latest version of your apps and software. This applies to your phone, your tablet, your laptop…everything. This may be one of the most important ways to help protect yourself.

5. Back up your computer

It’s very important to backup your computer—they protect against human error and hardware failure, but most importantly, against virus attacks. Should your computer get attacked by malware and you lose valuable data and documents, it could be gone forever—unless you back it up.

6. Delete old accounts

Let go of the past – ditch those old online accounts and e-mail addresses that you no longer use—the login details can come back to haunt you by being co-opted by hackers. Also, delete your Google search history from time to time.

7. Avoid using public Wi-Fi

Be careful if you’re at a coffee shop or a gym and want to use their free Wi-Fi. And if you do use it, don’t open your credit card account or expose your bank account info. Public Wi-Fi networks have bullseyes on their backs for hackers, who are constantly finding new ways to harvest your confidential data. If you’re going to use Wi-Fi in public, get a virtual private network (VPN) that encrypts your data.

8. Secure your home network

Do things like changing the name of your home Wi-Fi, keep your router’s software up to date, make sure you have an excellent firewall and use VPNs to access it.

9. Change your password frequently

How secure is your password? Not secure enough. Don’t be afraid to change them frequently. The more often you change it, the less likely that it will be compromised by a cybercriminal. If you do so every three months, you should be in good shape.

10. Use a password manager

Password managers keep your private details secure by encrypting your logins so they can only be accessed when you enter the master password. They’re excellent—and now commonly used—tools to keep you safer online.

11. Use a firewall

Why should you use a firewall? The real question is why wouldn’t you? They prevent hackers from getting remote access, protect data, and give you better security and network monitoring features.

12. Install anti-spyware software

As you can guess from the name, anti-spyware software prevents and detects unwanted spyware programs and can even get rid of them if installed.

13. Help Protect your online info with IDShield

If you really want to learn how to avoid getting hacked, the last (but definitely not least) thing you should do is to explore a membership with IDShield. It’s an excellent way to protect your Personal Identifiable Information. Getting identity theft protection from IDShield is one of the highly effective ways to battle online thieves.

IDShield monitors your Personally Identifiable Information (PII) from all angles, and if your identity is stolen, we provide full-service identity restoration to restore your identity to its pre-theft status. To help ensure that your private information remains private, our online privacy and reputation management services let you take back control of your personal data.

From scanning and monitoring of social media accounts for reputation-damaging images and harmful content to providing a VPN, malware protection and password manager, IDShield offers the peace of mind needed in today’s digital world.