Sometimes old information can be used to get access to other accounts, or old accounts can be used to impersonate you. Specifically, you’ll want to make use of to get rid of old accounts you’re not using anymore. Clean up old accountsįollow this site’s advice about cleaning up old accounts. (I’m looking at you, schools, real estate firms, and legal offices-I see a tremendous number of you sharing these documents insecurely via email.) Take a look at these tips for sharing documents more securely. We all need to find safer ways of sharing documents-and this goes for the offices asking us to share these documents, as well as us as individuals. This leaves those critical tools for identity theft in more places than they should be: other people’s accounts and devices, as well as your own. Many of us share critical information like our Social Security numbers or other IDs, titles and deeds, or financial and medical records, using email or text messages. Your downloads folder is only a small fraction of the places where your documents could go and not be safe. Or if that sounds too hard, consider getting an external USB drive you’ll only use for your sensitive documents, storing it in a locked drawer or safe, and deleting those documents from your other devices. If you’re a little more tech-savvy, you could try storing these documents in an encrypted volume on your device using VeraCrypt. If you absolutely need to keep a digital copy of these files, 1Password and LastPass offer ways to securely store documents and financial credentials. This means not just moving them to the trash, but emptying the trash. You should completely delete extra-sensitive documents that could be used to steal your identity: documents that include photos or scans of your identity cards, your Social Security number, your financial account or credit card numbers, etc. Here’s how to find your downloads folder on Windows (including older versions), Mac, Android, and iPhone, as well as managing downloads from Firefox, Chrome, Safari, and Internet Explorer. So: first step is moving those documents to a safer place, at the bare minimum out of “downloads” and into another folder. Guess where criminals often look first when they’re poking around your device? Clean up the downloads folder on each of your devicesĪ lot of us download bank statements, legal papers, or medical records and then leave them in the downloads folder, forgetting they’re there. Note that your browser’s built-in password manager is not safe enough-they are not usually encrypted.

I’m also fond of Remembear, which is simple but includes tutorials to help you take better care of your passwords. 1Password and LastPass are both good encrypted password managers. Next, set yourself up with an encrypted password manager or good-old-paper password book. Finding your password in a list of re-used passwords is the #1 way people get access to your accounts.įor advice on generating and storing a good password, pick up a copy of Keep Calm and Log On, or check out this article and quiz on password security I wrote for Tactical Tech.

How? First off, do not ever re-use a password you use elsewhere. If it says your password was breached, it’s time to change that password everywhere you use it. If Have I Been Pwned says your email address was breached, it’s time to change the password for the account where the breach happened. Then use that site’s password search to see if your password has been leaked, as well. That will let you know whether you were affected by breaches. First: figure out whether someone may already have gotten access to your stuffĭo a search for each of your email addresses on Have I Been Pwned.

Let’s focus for a second on identity theft, and how you can prevent it. Sure, having someone hack your accounts isn’t guaranteed to bring down your company or your country*… but it can sure as heck make your life a nightmare for some time. They’re how you manage your finances, job, benefits, and other crucial parts of your life.

When someone starts talking about digital security, a lot of us think “why would anyone want to hack my devices? I’m not an important person, I don’t have anything important on there.”īut as I remind readers in Keep Calm and Log On, your digital valuables are important to you.

Remembear reddit