Security
How to Protect Your Personal Data Online
EXPECTED READ TIME: 4 MINUTES
If you’re like many Americans, the end of winter means the beginning of spring cleaning. Summer triggers a little vehicle maintenance in preparation for vacations. And for a growing number of security-minded individuals, October means National Cybersecurity Awareness Month — and time to for their personal security checkup.
Completing a personal security checkup is easier than you might think. Here are five quick steps to better protect your personal information.
Review Your Credit Report
You’re entitled to one free credit report every year from each of the major credit bureaus. Viewing these reports can help you catch signs of identity theft or misinformation that could affect your ability to open new lines of credit.
If you notice suspicious activity, you may also choose to freeze or lock your credit for added protection. Another option is to subscribe to a dark web monitoring service that will alert you if your personal data shows up on the dark web.
Update Your Passwords
A secure password is still one of the best defenses against identity theft, yet most of us aren’t great at picking good ones. The strongest passwords are:
Unique and used for only one website or app
12 or more characters long
Made up of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters
Of course, strong passwords can be hard to remember. Writing them down — or saving them in a note on your computer or phone — is convenient but not secure. If you have trouble creating strong passwords or remembering them, consider using a password manager.
A secure password is still one of the best defenses against identity theft.
Protect Your Home Computer
From your personal budget and tax information to utilities and credit card bills, your home computer contains tons of personal information. Thankfully, you can take steps to protect yourself like enabling a firewall, activating antivirus protection, and installing operating system updates that include important security patches.
Updates aren’t just for your computer either. Internet browsers also need security updates from time to time. Clearing cookies and your browsing history also enhances your security by clearing personal information that could be stolen. (This goes for the browser on your smartphone, too!)
Clearing cookies and your browsing history also enhances your security by clearing personal information.
Secure Your Phone
Smartphones are a popular target for hackers, especially with the rise of mobile banking, but securing your phone isn’t complicated. You’re most of the way there if you keep your OS and apps updated, enable two-factor authentication, use a lock on your home screen, and avoid public Wi-Fi.
You can take your protection further by reviewing app permissions occasionally and uninstalling apps that collect more data than you’re comfortable sharing. And don’t forget to restart your phone once in a while. It will run better and keep you safer.
You can take your protection further by reviewing app permissions occasionally.
Review Your Social Media Settings
Social media sites are treasure troves of personal data. In fact, we often share more than we realize on these sites. With constant changes and updates, it can be hard to manage your security settings and know who can view what information you share.
Yet there are things you can do to keep yourself safe while staying connected. Here are some best practices for protecting your personal security on social networking sites:
Only add people you know to your social media accounts
Use a unique password for each social media site and change it regularly
Limit the amount of fact-based personal information you share (such as your birthday, address, hometown, graduation dates, and phone number or email address)
Use a password instead of a real answer for security verification questions
We often share more than we realize on social media sites.
Bonus Tips
Along with completing an annual security checkup, practicing good cybersecurity habits year-round will go a long way to keep you and your family safe. Here are a few safety tips to keep in mind.
Shop Safely
Online shopping is convenient, and more and more people are turning to online retailers for great bargains. The problem is that online shopping requires you to share bank or credit card information that can be intercepted or stolen. When you shop online, be sure to check that:
The website’s URL contains https://, not http://. That S stands for “secure” and means the data you share will be encrypted.
You’re on an official URL. Misspellings or extra characters in a URL might indicate you’re on a scammer’s website that is pretending to be official.
The sender’s email address on any email offers you receive is official. Like with websites, fake email offers can steal your information. These scams are especially common around the holidays.
Online shopping requires you to share bank or credit card information that can be intercepted or stolen.
Familiarize Yourself With Common Scams
Many scams follow one of a handful of patterns. If you’re familiar with the most popular scams, you’re less likely to fall for them. PenFed is dedicated to helping you learn to recognize credit card fraud, spot phishing emails, protect your family online, and protect you children’s personal data.
Know How to Take Action
Even the smartest among us sometimes get taken for a ride. Don’t panic if that happens. We have a straightforward guide to reporting fraud and identity theft, complete with a list of organizations you should contact and steps you can take to minimize the situation.
Even the smartest among us sometimes get taken for a ride. Don’t panic if that happens.
The Takeaway
Your personal security checkup may take some time to complete the first time you do it. But once you have a system in place, your annual checkup will be a breeze. Isn’t it worth a little peace of mind?
Have More Questions about Security? PenFed has Answers.
Learn more about protecting your personal information from online theft and threats.
