Before Hackers Attack: How to protect your online accounts ?

Hackers are primarily targeting your online access. We’ll show you Before Hackers Attack: How to protect your online accounts? from attacks and damage. If your friends suddenly complain about your Facebook posts or money is missing from your bank account, there is a high risk that your account has been hacked. To prevent this from happening in the first place, you should take precautions: You can secure log-ins with various methods and prevent hackers from gaining access to your private data and more.

5 tips to help you make your account hack proof

1. Use individual passwords

You really should assign an individual password for every online account. The reason: If a login combination that you use multiple times ends up on a password list on the dark web, all associated accounts are automatically at risk. Individual passwords allow you to keep the damage as low as possible in an emergency.

2. Use a password manager

Since it’s hard to remember dozens of different credentials, password managers come in handy. The idea: you save all log-in data in an encrypted database. Secure it with a password that is as complex as possible. In the end, you only have to remember one access to secure all passwords. In addition to commercial solutions such as 1password or LastPass, you can also use free solutions such as KeePassX. With a password manager like KeePassX, you can save as many passwords as you want, but only have to remember one login.

3. Set up two-factor authentication

Many online accesses can be secured using two-factor authentication. Once activated, a password alone is no longer sufficient to log into an account. Instead, logging in requires an additional step, such as entering a numeric code that you receive via SMS on your mobile phone. It may take longer, but it’s a big plus for online security.

4. Use strong passwords

Experts have been arguing about what exactly a “secure” password is since the “password” principle has existed in digital form. There is general agreement that longer passphrases are still more difficult to crack than short ones. Instead of relying on short passwords full of obscure special characters, you should take one sentence and modify it slightly, for example with a number in the middle. Password managers like KeePass already have a password generator integrated. This allows complex, secure passwords to be generated, which helps you to saves your time.

5. Stay Updated

There are things you can do to protect your accounts yourself, but you also have to rely on the service providers you have an account with. If hackers steal a password database, all security measures will not help. It is important that you remain informed in such a case. Affected companies often inform about possible attacks and the necessary measures by e-mail – you should under no circumstances ignore these e-mails. You can also find out about current threats and attacks on accounts of all kinds on google. Be sure to stay up to date so that you can react quickly in the event of a hacker attack.

Detect Phishing Attempts

In addition to data leaks from the providers, “Phishing” is still the most common reason for hacked passwords. The method is as old as it is effective: an attacker tries to guide you to a fake log-in website via a link (e.g. via email or social media). If you log in here, a hacker has got hold of your access data. The good news: modern browsers like Chrome and Firefox detect many fake phishing sites and warn you. Phishing emails also have a hard time with many email providers. But you shouldn’t rely on that alone. The best trick against phishing attempts is: go to the website directly in your browser instead of clicking on links. Hardly any service provider does without an encrypted and signed connection.

You can use the browser bar to check whether you are surfing via an encrypted connection in all major browsers. Chrome, Firefox, Edge and the like usually indicate secure connections with green lettering, a lock symbol or something similar. However, if you see an exclamation mark next to the URL, you should at least be skeptical and reconsider entering your log-in data. Current browsers tell you at a glance whether the connection to the site is secure and you are really surfing on the correct website.

Secure accounts with two-factor authentication

Two-factor authentication, or 2FA for short, sounds extremely boring, but it is still one of the most efficient ways to protect your online accounts from unauthorized access. In addition to the classic combination of username and password, access secured with 2FA requires a second code that is generated for each login attempt. For example, you can have a code sent to you via SMS or email, generate it with a separate smartphone app such as Authy or Google Authenticator, or even use a hardware key such as a USB stick. Once set up, 2FA ensures that a stolen password alone no longer allows access to your accounts. Setting up two-factor authentication takes just a few steps. Among other things, you can secure your accounts with Google, Facebook, Paypal, Dropbox, Microsoft and many other providers.

If you don’t have access to your second code for some reason, you can’t access your accounts. This is one of the disadvantage of two-factor authentication. For this reason, you should always make sure that you have a “plan B” for using two-factor authentication. For example, Google offers the option of providing an additional telephone number or email address to restore your log-in. These or similar safety nets also stretch many other services that enable account security via 2FA.

Online Account Hacking: What if it’s too late?

With the right precautions, you are protected against account theft in many cases. But what can you do if the emergency has already occurred? In case one of the online accounts has been cracked, you should proceed systematically. If the hackers weren’t quicker, the first thing you should do is try requesting a new password. Corresponding links can be found on the respective log-in pages. If it is too late for this, you should contact the company’s user support immediately. Many providers such as Facebook or Google offer instructions and procedures in their help areas to restore cracked accounts. Ideally, you can use it to prevent the worst damage.

In the help areas, many providers give tips on how to get hijacked accounts back. Is it a “social” account like Facebook, Twitter, or your email service? Then you should inform friends and acquaintances about it to prevent confusion and trouble. In the event of a hacker attack that could cause you financial problems (e.g. hacked Amazon, e-mail or online banking access), you should immediately ensure that the relevant accounts are temporarily blocked. To do this, contact the support hotline of the relevant provider directly. Hope you got some idea about Before Hackers Attack: How to protect your online accounts?

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