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As the new year is drawing closer, people start to list their resolutions for 2020. They usually focus on their careers, fitness and health goals, and love life. But few ever stop to consider their digital lives, even though we spend an increasingly larger portion of our time online.
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When it comes to cyberattacks, the last decade was the worst in history. It saw 10 out of the 15 largest data breaches ever recorded. It’s evident that cybersecurity is something we all must think about more often. That’s why our team at NordPass decided to give you a few tips and suggestions on how you can make 2020 safer.
1. Delete accounts you no longer use
If you don’t want to end up in a breached accounts list, one of the best things you can do is delete all your old accounts. If a company doesn’t have your data, it can’t be sold or stolen.
People tend to use the same passwords over and over again – especially when creating single-use accounts on random websites they don’t plan to use in the future. You might think that there’s nothing wrong with this practice, but it leaves you very vulnerable to attacks. If any of those websites is breached, your username and password might end up for sale in the black market. And if you reuse passwords, this can lead to your other accounts being compromised as well.
Therefore, delete every old account you no longer use. It might take some time to find every obscure website you signed up for years ago, but trust us – it’s worth it.
2. Update all your passwords
Once you get rid of your old accounts, it’s time to take care of the ones you use every day. First, make sure none of them were compromised in a data breach. Go to haveibeenpwned.com and enter your email. If it was a part of any data breach, you will see which of your accounts are at fault. Immediately change your password on those services and, again, if you no longer use it – delete it.
It’s advisable to change all your passwords periodically. And starting a new year fresh is always a good idea. So, go to your every account and change the password. Make sure you never reuse them, as it might come back to bite you.
Pick strong passwords that are impossible to guess. Even better – make sure they cannot be cracked by using a dictionary attack. If you’re not sure whether your password is good enough, you can check it here.
Having trouble coming up with new passwords? We have a tool for that too. When you use our password generator, you can choose what letters, symbols, and digits you want to use and how long the password should be. Copy and paste – and you’re done.
If you are serious about your cybersecurity, passwords are the first thing you must pay attention to. They should be long, difficult, and unique. Now just make sure you update your passwords every year.
3. And then forget all of them
Yes, you read that right. Why write them down and risk losing the list somewhere? Why strain yourself by trying to remember each and every one? Just relax and get yourself a password manager. NordPass will do all of the work for you. All you will need to remember from now on is your master password – everything else will be kept safely in your vault, guarded by our bulletproof encryption.
Every time you visit a website, NordPass will automatically fill the username and password fields. And if you create a new account or change the password in your old one, NordPass will immediately offer to save it in your vault. No muss, no fuss.
4. Set up 2FA where possible
Two-factor authentication is a way to add an extra layer of protection to your account. If you set it up, it will ask you to confirm your identity every time you log in. It can be your fingerprint, if you’re using a phone, an authentication code from an app, or a secret code sent to you via SMS. You can also use hardware security keys if you prefer to have a physical object.
Unfortunately, 2FA is not available everywhere, but you should enable it where possible – including NordPass. You don’t want to risk all your passwords being exposed, so double up on security and stay safe. And if your account details end up in a data breach, 2FA is a guarantee that no one will be able to log in, even if they know your password.
5. No password resets throughout the year
If you’ve done everything right, this one should be easy. With all your unused accounts deleted, passwords updated and transferred to a password manager, and 2FA set up, you will have nothing to worry about. NordPass will do all the work for you.
Final words
Follow every one of these tips, and you will never have to worry about your accounts getting hacked. If you use NordPass, these resolutions are very easy to stick to. You might need to train harder for that marathon, though!