Taking Personal Cybersecurity Seriously
There are a lot of steps you can take in order to protect yourself and your data. At the same time, for every good step there is always a counter part which is there to be avoided.
A few examples are:
123456
Password
12345678
Qwerty
12345
123456789
letmein
1234567
Football
iloveyou
Think of all the places you need passwords. Email accounts, bank accounts, credit card accounts, store accounts…the list is pretty lengthy. Cybersecurity experts recommend a strong password, unique to each account. The password should be at least twelve (12) digits in length containing upper and lower case letters, numbers, and special characters.
If you are not one the those rare individuals who can handily remember this many arcane passwords, buy a password manager and use that to take the burden off keeping all the login credentials straight. Don’t ever compound the indignity of a weak password by writing it down and sticking it to your computer. Seriously bad security practice.
A companion article from The Independent reported that very few people use all the security measures available to them on their accounts. One of the most common features is called two factor authentication, or 2FA for short. The article reported that only 10% of Google account holders use 2FA. The way it works is you sign in normally and Google sends you a unique code via text, voice call, or their app. Enter the code and your account is unlocked.
Why don’t people use the feature or doesn’t Google (and other companies) require its use? The answer is convenience and usability. It adds a step, takes longer, and most people today don’t want to be bothered even at the risk of their login being stolen. 2FA definitely protects the user and is well worth enabling.
CRIP.TO has developed its own form of 2FA to ensure the highest level of privacy and security for its customers. All users receive a unique pseudonym, PIN/PUK Code, and QR Code to make sure only the authorized user can access the system and its information. Read more on the CRIP.TO approach to 2FA and learn how CRIP.TO gives you the power to communicate fearlessly.
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Originally published at crip.to.