The Basics
Here are the basics of protecting yourself and your information for general browsing of the internet. We will break down things to keep safe as well as explain the reasoning why doing so is important. Each section will break down habits in their use, examples, and why they are important.
Passwords
Passwords are one of the first steps to making a account anywhere. They act as the key to your account.
Strong Passwords
As seen in the image above, Keepnet shows steps you should take to create a strong password, Most times when you are creating a account there will be requirements to make the password, The more complex the better. You also do not want to use the same password across multiple accounts, using a tool like a password manager to generate a random password and then storing that password to easily log back in.
Examples of Strong Passwords
Here are three examples, examples include with numbers, letters, and symbols that is 20 characters long.
- 5e5ADQ,G*!zy#oz8M:W5
- cups-pierre-duration-tessa
- 562604 - This is a 6 digit pin password
I would recommend against using the memorable password (The second listed) as to avoid words directly used in the dictionary.
Why Passwords Matter
As stated before, passwords are the first line of defense for your private information on a website, if a bad actor has your log in information they can do any number of things from making purchases on your account to stealing your personal information.
Password Managers
Now that we have gone over the basics of passwords, we should talk about ways to manage them. Having a unique password for each site can be confusing and hard to manage, That's where password managers come in. Many password managers also come with other benefits which you can use to keep even more of your information safe. While most offer a free version, they often have a subscription with these extra benefits.
What They Do
Password managers take down your log in information, meaning your email/username/phone number and your password. They keep it locked behind a unique master password to access the full list. This allows you to only have to remember one password to easily log into all your site and accounts.
Generated Passwords
Almost every single password manager will give you the ability to generate a password for you that it can then store for you. The upside is that the passwords are random characters, number, and symbols that makes it extremely difficult to crack. Although it does require you to maintain the password manager.
Password Manager Examples
LastPass - Has a built in autofill so you can stay on the page and log in easily. It also has sections for banking information, Taxes, and any licenses you may need to upload.
RoboForm - Highly rated with the site always updating with more protection for it's users.
There are many more, these are just the two I am personally familiar with.
MultiFactor Authenification
Multifactor Authentication, also known as MFA, is a two step process that works with your log in information to verify it is you logging in. It works by using a secondary means of contacting you, typically a text, email, or using a MFA app (like google authenticator) to confirm or deny that it is you trying to log in.
How They Work
The image above shows Google Authenticator, it shows the website, the email associated with the account and then a time-based one-time password. Once it generates you copy that provided one time code and put it into the website when prompted.
What They Do
Essentially, MFA apps give you a one time password to confirm it is really you. If you're account is compromised and someone tries to log in, MFA can completely block their access as long as they don't have access to the MFA app.
Common MFA Apps
The most commonly used MFA apps are Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator, and Cisco Duo Mobile ( mostly used in Enterprise scenarios, IE, at work)
Website Links and Downloads
This section we will talk about safe links. This can be very complex and is potentially intimidating, don't get discouraged. The important thing is not clicking the first thing you see and making sure it goes to where you are meaning.
Safe links
While search engines like Google, Bing, and many others do filter out bad links from appearing at the top of results, it is important to verify the links they come up with.
How to Know What is Safe
It is very difficult to tell sometimes, some key giveaways that the link is suspicious are replaced letters in the URL (The website address). www.Youtube.com for example could be presented as Y0utube, replacing the "o" with a zero. Another giveaway is if you are trying to visit a government site, it will say .com instead of .gov or .net. It is important to always look before clicking.
Downloads
Downloads are always risky. You never truly know if something can be malicious or not. As a general rule of thumb, do not click images or the download button for anything you do not absolutely trust. Some browsers (IE Chrome, Firefox, Safari, ect.) you can turn a setting on to confirm if you really want to download something. Many operating systems have built in antivirus software that alerts you if a download is dangerous.