Anyone who has ever had a computer or device issue knows techies can make a bad day a lot better. But, before we even need their help, following these steps can put you and your device ahead of the game.
1: Password managers
Think you don’t need one? Think again.
One of the many benefits of having a password manager is that it will inform you when a password has been part of a breach. For instance, the iPhone’s Password manager provides you a list of “compromised” passwords from each account.
To see this:
- go to your iPhone’s homepage
- click on “search” towards the bottom
- type in password and click on the icon with the 3 keys
- if you have been using the password app click on the box called “security”
- the number in that box is the number of accounts you have with a hacked password
Johnson prefers using an independent manager called 1Password.
He said not only does this work across all platforms, unlike the iPhone Password app, but it also allows you to create a master password that is much stronger than the 6-digit code to unlock your phone.
Johnson said if you do use the iPhone password, at least be sure to set up Face ID so that someone doesn’t try to guess your entry code.
As long as Johnson remembers his single complex password phrase for 1Password, the app does the work for him, coming up with unique passwords for any login, decreasing the chances of hacking.
asked Johnson what he would say to people who are nervous to use an app that creates and stores all their passwords.
“When you configure the password manager, the first time, it gives you backup codes, and so if you ever lose your master password, you can recover you account by using one of those backup codes,” he said.
2: Safer browsing
If you want to curb ads that follow you from site to site, you have a few options:
- Consider a more secure browser. For instance, Safari gives users periodic reports on how many trackers it stops.
Hy has another favorite.
“If you want better privacy while online, my suggestion, personally, I use Brave browser. It gives you different options to essentially keep yourself safe from unwanted ads or malicious advertisements.”
- If you’re wedded to Google’s Chrome or Microsoft Edge, at least consider downloading the browser extension Ublock Origin (for Microsoft) or Ublock Origin lite (for Chrome). The program was developed by a techie who was tired of ads tracking him. It is free and used by many techies who know of its benefits.
3: Automatic updates
Keep your phone’s operating system up to date so that it always has the latest fix for security flaws.
While you’re at it, don’t forget to update your apps. Better yet, set that to “automatic updates” so your apps are less of a security risk.
“Don’t wait too long. They’re pushing out those updates and operating system updates for a reason,” Steadman said.
4: Email safety
IT experts said it’s extremely important to have at least 2-3 email addresses.
- one for banking, healthcare, and known personal contacts
- another for shopping
- consider a third for social media, which reveals a considerable amount of private information
5: Child monitoring
Father of 3, Jeremey Steadman, who heads the IT Department at USC Upstate, uses free tools like Google Family Link to monitor his younger kids’ usage online.
That parental control, as well as Amazon’s Parent Dashboard and Microsoft Family, allow you to set screen time limits, approve or block apps and filter web content.
“If you don’t have something like this, it’s dangerous with so much stuff out on the internet now. It’s one wrong click away or one search away that your kids may bring up something that they don’t need to be seeing or viewing,” Steadman said.
If you need more guidance, his colleagues recommend a paid service like Qustodio to monitor your kids online.
6: Guest networks
“I’ve been a geek my whole life,” is something Glenn Johnson, founder of the cybersecurity firm Vizius Group, said with both confidence and a chuckle. He personally uses a “guest network” in his home, something he said every household should do.
Johnson said, don’t just use the network for ‘guests’ but also for connected products like a door camera and smart appliance that he says tend to have less high security than an iPhone. This way, hackers have less ability to access your router.
“What I do is I set up a guest network called “guest” and I put my thermostat and my TVs and anybody that comes in, everybody’s on that network that doesn’t need access to our internal systems. Of course, being a geek, I have a lot of internal systems,” he added with a laugh.
7: Virtual Private Network (VPN)
VPNs like Surfshark protect you anytime you’re connecting to a public Wi-Fi.
Alex-Hy, owner of Hy-Tech Repairs, said people may not realize that free Wi-Fi means two things:
- Bad actors can potentially access your data
- Marketers will very likely share your data
In addition to protecting yourself, Hy said VPNs offer another benefit.
“Not only does VPN protect your privacy, but VPN can also get you good prices on things, believe it or not. Say for flights, changing your location, you’ll get different pricing.”
The same is true for purchasing event tickets and watching live sports.
