Do these nine things to protect yourself against hackers and scammers
Scammers are using AI tools to create increasingly convincing ways to trick victims into sending money, and to access the personal information needed to commit identity theft. Deepfakes mean they can impersonate the voice of a friend or family member, and even fake a video call with them!
The result can be criminals taking out thousands of dollars worth of loans or credit card debt in your name. Fortunately there are steps you can take to protect yourself against even the most sophisticated scams. Here are the security and privacy checks to run to ensure you are safe …
9to5Mac is brought to by Incogni: Protect your personal info from prying eyes. With Incogni, you can scrub your deeply sensitive information from data brokers across the web, including people search sites. Incogni limits your phone number, address, email, SSN, and more from circulating. Fight back against unwanted data brokers with a 30-day money back guarantee.
Use a password manager
At one time, the advice might have read “use strong, unique passwords for each website and app you use” – but these days we all use so many that this is only possible if we use a password manager.
This is a super-easy step to take, thanks to the Passwords app on Apple devices. Each time you register for a new service, use the Passwords appto set and store the password.
Replace older passwords
You probably created some accounts back in the days when password rules were much less strict, meaning you now have some weak passwords that are vulnerable to attack. If you’ve been online since before the days of password managers, you probably even some passwords you’ve used on more than one website. This is a huge risk, as it means your security is only as good as the least-secure website you use.
What happens is attackers break into a poorly-secured website, grab all the logins, then they use automated software to try those same logins on hundreds of different websites. If you’ve re-used a password, they now have access to your accounts on all the sites where you used it.
Use the password change feature to update your older passwords, starting with the most important ones – the ones that would put you most at risk if your account where compromised. As an absolute minimum, ensure you have strong, unique passwords for all financial services, as well as other critical ones like Apple, Google, and Amazon accounts.
Make sure you include any accounts which have already been compromised! You can identify these by putting your email address into Have I Been Pwned.
Use passkeys where possible
Passwords are gradually being replaced by passkeys. While the difference might seem small in terms of how you login, there’s a huge difference in the security they provide.
With a passkey, a website or app doesn’t ask for a password, it instead asks your device to verify your identity. Your device uses Face ID or Touch ID to do so, then confirms that you are who you claim to be. Crucially, it doesn’t send a password back to the service, so there’s no way for this to be hacked – all the service sees is confirmation that you successfully passed biometric authentication on your device.
Use two-factor authentication
A growing number of accounts allow you to use two-factor authentication. This means that even if an attacker got your login details, they still wouldn’t be able to access your account.
2FA works by demanding a rolling code whenever you login. These can be sent by text message, but we strongly advise against this, as it leaves you vulnerable to SIM-swap attacks, which are becoming increasingly common. In particular, never use text-based 2FA for financial services accounts.
Instead, select the option to use an authenticator app. A QR code will be displayed which you scan in the app, adding that service to your device. Next time you login, you just open the app to see a 6-digit rolling code which you’ll need to enter to login. This feature is built into the Passwords app, or you can use a separate one like Google Authenticator.
Check last-login details
Some services, like banking apps, will display the date and time of your last successful login. Get into the habit of checking this each time you login, as it can provide a warning that your account has been compromised.
Use a VPN service for public Wi-Fi hotspots
Anytime you use a public Wi-Fi hotspot, you are at risk from what’s known as a Man-in-the-Middleattack. This is where someone uses a small device which uses the same name as a public Wi-Fi hotspot so that people connect to it. Once you do, they can monitor your internet traffic.
Almost all modern websites use HTTPS, which provides an encrypted connection that makes MitM attacks less dangerous than they used to be. All the same, the exploit can expose you to a number of security and privacy risks, so using a VPN is still highly advisable. Always choose a respected VPN company, ideally one which keeps no logs and subjects itself to independent audits. I use NordVPN for this reason.
Don’t disclose personal info to AI chatbots
AI chatbots typically use their conversations with users as training material, meaning anything you say or type could end up in their database, and could potentially be regurgitated when answering another user’s question. Never reveal any personal information you wouldn’t want on the internet.
Consider data removal
It’s likely that much of your personal information has already been collected by data brokers. Your email address and phone number can be used for spam, which is annoying enough, but they can also be used by scammers. For this reason, you might want to scrub your data from as many broker services as possible. You can do this yourself, or use a service like Incogni to do it for you.
Triple-check requests for money
Finally, if anyone asks you to send them money, be immediately on the alert. Even if seems to be a friend, family member, or your boss, never take it on trust. Always contact them via a different, known communication channel. If they emailed you, phone them. If they phoned you, message or email them. Some people go as far as agreeing codewords with family members to use if they ever really do need emergency help.
If anyone asks you to buy gift cards and send the numbers to them, it’s a scam 100% of the time. Requests to use money transfer services are also generally scams unless it’s something you arranged in advance.
Even if you are expecting to send someone money, be alert for claims that they have changed their bank account. This is almost always a scam. Again, contact them via a different, known comms channel.
Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash
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#these #nine #things #protect #yourselfDo these nine things to protect yourself against hackers and scammers
Scammers are using AI tools to create increasingly convincing ways to trick victims into sending money, and to access the personal information needed to commit identity theft. Deepfakes mean they can impersonate the voice of a friend or family member, and even fake a video call with them!
The result can be criminals taking out thousands of dollars worth of loans or credit card debt in your name. Fortunately there are steps you can take to protect yourself against even the most sophisticated scams. Here are the security and privacy checks to run to ensure you are safe …
9to5Mac is brought to by Incogni: Protect your personal info from prying eyes. With Incogni, you can scrub your deeply sensitive information from data brokers across the web, including people search sites. Incogni limits your phone number, address, email, SSN, and more from circulating. Fight back against unwanted data brokers with a 30-day money back guarantee.
Use a password manager
At one time, the advice might have read “use strong, unique passwords for each website and app you use” – but these days we all use so many that this is only possible if we use a password manager.
This is a super-easy step to take, thanks to the Passwords app on Apple devices. Each time you register for a new service, use the Passwords appto set and store the password.
Replace older passwords
You probably created some accounts back in the days when password rules were much less strict, meaning you now have some weak passwords that are vulnerable to attack. If you’ve been online since before the days of password managers, you probably even some passwords you’ve used on more than one website. This is a huge risk, as it means your security is only as good as the least-secure website you use.
What happens is attackers break into a poorly-secured website, grab all the logins, then they use automated software to try those same logins on hundreds of different websites. If you’ve re-used a password, they now have access to your accounts on all the sites where you used it.
Use the password change feature to update your older passwords, starting with the most important ones – the ones that would put you most at risk if your account where compromised. As an absolute minimum, ensure you have strong, unique passwords for all financial services, as well as other critical ones like Apple, Google, and Amazon accounts.
Make sure you include any accounts which have already been compromised! You can identify these by putting your email address into Have I Been Pwned.
Use passkeys where possible
Passwords are gradually being replaced by passkeys. While the difference might seem small in terms of how you login, there’s a huge difference in the security they provide.
With a passkey, a website or app doesn’t ask for a password, it instead asks your device to verify your identity. Your device uses Face ID or Touch ID to do so, then confirms that you are who you claim to be. Crucially, it doesn’t send a password back to the service, so there’s no way for this to be hacked – all the service sees is confirmation that you successfully passed biometric authentication on your device.
Use two-factor authentication
A growing number of accounts allow you to use two-factor authentication. This means that even if an attacker got your login details, they still wouldn’t be able to access your account.
2FA works by demanding a rolling code whenever you login. These can be sent by text message, but we strongly advise against this, as it leaves you vulnerable to SIM-swap attacks, which are becoming increasingly common. In particular, never use text-based 2FA for financial services accounts.
Instead, select the option to use an authenticator app. A QR code will be displayed which you scan in the app, adding that service to your device. Next time you login, you just open the app to see a 6-digit rolling code which you’ll need to enter to login. This feature is built into the Passwords app, or you can use a separate one like Google Authenticator.
Check last-login details
Some services, like banking apps, will display the date and time of your last successful login. Get into the habit of checking this each time you login, as it can provide a warning that your account has been compromised.
Use a VPN service for public Wi-Fi hotspots
Anytime you use a public Wi-Fi hotspot, you are at risk from what’s known as a Man-in-the-Middleattack. This is where someone uses a small device which uses the same name as a public Wi-Fi hotspot so that people connect to it. Once you do, they can monitor your internet traffic.
Almost all modern websites use HTTPS, which provides an encrypted connection that makes MitM attacks less dangerous than they used to be. All the same, the exploit can expose you to a number of security and privacy risks, so using a VPN is still highly advisable. Always choose a respected VPN company, ideally one which keeps no logs and subjects itself to independent audits. I use NordVPN for this reason.
Don’t disclose personal info to AI chatbots
AI chatbots typically use their conversations with users as training material, meaning anything you say or type could end up in their database, and could potentially be regurgitated when answering another user’s question. Never reveal any personal information you wouldn’t want on the internet.
Consider data removal
It’s likely that much of your personal information has already been collected by data brokers. Your email address and phone number can be used for spam, which is annoying enough, but they can also be used by scammers. For this reason, you might want to scrub your data from as many broker services as possible. You can do this yourself, or use a service like Incogni to do it for you.
Triple-check requests for money
Finally, if anyone asks you to send them money, be immediately on the alert. Even if seems to be a friend, family member, or your boss, never take it on trust. Always contact them via a different, known communication channel. If they emailed you, phone them. If they phoned you, message or email them. Some people go as far as agreeing codewords with family members to use if they ever really do need emergency help.
If anyone asks you to buy gift cards and send the numbers to them, it’s a scam 100% of the time. Requests to use money transfer services are also generally scams unless it’s something you arranged in advance.
Even if you are expecting to send someone money, be alert for claims that they have changed their bank account. This is almost always a scam. Again, contact them via a different, known comms channel.
Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash
Add 9to5Mac to your Google News feed.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.You’re reading 9to5Mac — experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel
#these #nine #things #protect #yourself
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