Criminals can also hack individual websites—like email, social media, or financial institutions—and steal the information stored there. While trying to protect all your devices and accounts from these criminals may seem daunting, there are some easy, practical steps you can take to keep your information more secure.
As mentioned above, Internet-connected televisions and appliances are now available in the marketplace. These devices, as well as the router that connects your home to the Internet, are also vulnerable to attack. It is important to protect these devices just like computers and smartphones. Hacking is a crime. You may file a report with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which may be contacted as follows:.
By some estimates, over 85 percent of Americans have a computer in their home. Many computer users do not have the technical know-how to fix their computers when they break or jam. Scammers—many from other countries—seek to exploit these facts. Increasingly, "phishing" emails do more than just impersonate a bank in the effort to steal consumers' information.
Thieves may send a spam e-mail message, instant message, or pop-up message that infects the consumer's PC with spyware and gives control of it to the thief. Spammers send up to million junk emails a day. Spam emails are not only a nuisance but can damage your computer and allow an attacker access to your private and financial information. How Can We Help? Internet Safety: How to Protect Yourself Against Hackers Recent reports estimate that there will be between 20 and 30 billion Internet-connected devices by What is Hacking?
Protecting Computers and Laptops Make sure your security software is up-to-date. Your computer will typically notify you when a software update is available. Install antivirus and antimalware software. If you do not have security software, install a firewall and antivirus software and keep them up-to-date. There are a variety of reputable products available for free or that have a free trial period. These programs help identify the latest threats and allow a user to remove malicious software from their device.
Do your research before installing any program and beware of scams that attempt to lure you into disclosing your personal information or that direct you to download programs that may contain malware. This can prevent unknown persons from using your network or accessing your devices without your knowledge. If your device is lost or stolen, a strong passcode may prevent a thief from accessing all the information stored on your phone.
Many smartphones also allow you to remotely wipe the information from your computer in the event of loss or theft. Only install trusted applications. Keep your software up-to-date. Smartphone manufacturers and app developers regularly release software updates that often include security improvements.
Check often to ensure that your smartphone has the most up-to-date software. Using Internet Explorer may prevent you from accessing Chubb. Where was the last public place you visited that had Wi-Fi? These days, nearly every coffee shop, library, airport and hotel offer a way to access the internet from your cell phone or other mobile device.
Here are a few recommendations from the University of Michigan :. Hackers can use certain features on your phone to get at your information, location or connection.
So, instead of keeping your GPS, wireless connection and geo-tracking on all the time, just turn them on when you need them. Only download apps from trustworthy sources that have established a good reputation. This article was co-authored by Chiara Corsaro. There are 9 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.
This article has been viewed , times. These days it seems like everybody is getting hacked. There are hundreds of successful cyber-attacks a year and countless attempts. This wikiHow will teach you how to increase the security of your accounts, mobile devices, computers, and networks. Our Expert Agrees: To keep your computer safe from hackers, always make sure that when you're on the internet, you're connected to a secure network and not a public network.
When you're out in public, that's usually the biggest cause of having your system get compromised. To prevent hacking into your accounts, create complex passwords that have a combination of numbers, upper and lower case letters, and special characters.
You should also change your password at least every 6 months. If you're required to select security questions, answer them creatively, like using "Pineapple" as the answer to your mother's maiden name. To learn how to set up a two-factor authentication for your accounts, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No. Log in Social login does not work in incognito and private browsers. Please log in with your username or email to continue. No account yet? Create an account. Edit this Article. We use cookies to make wikiHow great.
By using our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Cookie Settings. Learn why people trust wikiHow. Download Article Explore this Article methods. Tips and Warnings. Related Articles. Article Summary. Method 1. Create complex passwords. Your passwords to access your accounts on apps or websites should consist of a combination of numbers, upper- and lower-case letters, and special characters that is difficult to guess.
Don't use the same password for more than one website or account. This limits the damage to you if a hacker happens to crack one of your passwords. Use a password manager. Password managers store and auto-fill your credentials for different sites, allowing you to create a complex and unique password for each site without having to worry about entering the password itself more than once. While you should absolutely keep track of your passwords on your own as well, a password manager will help make your device much more secure.
Highly praised third-party password managers include "Dashlane 4", "LastPass 4. Most browsers have a built-in password manager that stores your passwords although they don't typically encrypt them. Don't give out your password. This is an obvious piece of advice, but one that bears revisiting: with the exception of some school services, you shouldn't ever have to provide a site administrator with your password for them to access your account.
Similarly, don't tell people your phone or tablet's PIN or passcode combination. Even your friends might accidentally tell someone your passcode. If you do have to give someone your password for some reason, change it as soon as they are done with whatever they needed to do on your account. Change your passwords often.
In addition to keeping your password a secret, you should change the passwords on your various accounts and devices at least once every six months.
Be sure not to use the same password twice e. When you do change your password, you should change it substantially. Don't simply replace one letter with a number. Use two-factor authentication. Two-factor authentication requires you to enter a code sent to you in a text message or another service to access your account after you enter your user name and password. This makes it more difficult for a hacker to access your information, even if they are able to crack your password.
Most major websites, including popular social media networks, have some form of two-factor authentication available. Check your account settings to learn how to enable this feature. You can set up two-step verification for your Google account. Popular app alternatives to receiving a text message include Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator, and Authy. Some password managers also include a built in authenticator app. Avoid using the correct answer for security questions.
When making security questions, don't make the answer to them the correct answer. Instead, make the answers incorrect, or even better, make them like passwords and don't base the answers on the questions at all. Better yet, you a combination of random numbers, letters, and symbols like "IgHT7. Read privacy policies carefully. Any company that has information from you must have a privacy policy that details how they use that information and the extent to which they share it with others.
Although the reading can be cumbersome, it's worth at least skimming it so you know how your data is being used. If you see something in the privacy policy that you disagree with, or that makes you uncomfortable, you may want to reconsider sharing information with that company. Log out of accounts when you're done with them. Simply closing the browser window isn't always enough, so make sure you click or tap on your account name and select Log Out or Sign Out in some cases to manually sign out of your account and remove your login credentials from the site.
Make sure you're on an official website when entering passwords. Phishing scams — instances in which a malicious page pretends to be a login page for a social media or bank account — are one of the easiest ways for you to get hacked. One way to spot phishing scams is to look at the site's URL: if it closely resembles but doesn't exactly match a reputable site's URL e.
Avoid doing so on a page that asks for the login information in order to share an article or something similar. An exception to this rule is when a university uses an existing service e. Method 2. Change your phone's passcode often. The first line of defense against people attempting to view or steal your data is a strong and constantly changing passcode. Make sure that you substantially change the passcode each time you change it--don't just change one number.
On most phones, you can set a "complex" or "advanced" password that includes letters and symbols in addition to the typical numerical characters.
Avoid Using Touch ID or other fingerprint verification features. While these seem more secure than a passcode, it is actually easier to hack than a password because hackers can replicate your fingerprint with a printer.
Update your devices and software. As soon as an update becomes available for anything from your phone's Facebook app to its entire operating system, you should apply it if possible. Many updates are patches to repair weaknesses and address security vulnerabilities.
Failing to update your software will eventually result in an exploitable weakness appearing, which puts your device at risk.
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