Some things you should be using if you happen to use the internet.

I say should because I know of what I’m talking about. Been doing this a while.

2 factor, MultiFactor, 2step, etc. Authentication

This is a service that most security conscious service providers… provide. (Oddly, a lot of banks do not provide this service, Shame on you banks!) Here is a List of websites and whether or not they support 2FA.

How it works

You sign into a service, The service sends (or Google Authenticator provides) a unique one time use code that ultimately gains you access to your account.

Someone may have your password, but they probably don’t have your cellphone too.

If you don’t see your service listed here, Try searching for your service + two factor authentication.

Web Browsers and Plugins.

I would recommend using chrome or Firefox. Both have plugins that help protect your identity and security online. Internet explorer and safari not-so-much, but they are getting better.

My favorite is Chrome. It’s google. I trust them because it’s easy to…. Not because it’s a good idea. There are a couple plugins I use on all of my browsers.

  • Privacy Badger. Blocks sites that track your activities. Unintrusive, and I trust it because it’s from the EFF.
  • HTTPS everywhere forces your web browser to use HTTPS if possible. This helps protect passwords and text transmitted over the internet. Also, Written by the EFF so I trust it.

Lastpass OnePass Keepass

Password managers. Get one and use one.

Here is my philosophy for passwords: Never use the same one twice. Do I follow this? Not all of the time… but I sure try and a good password manager sure helps.

Backup!

The 3, 2, 1 rule of backups. 3 copies, at least 2 different mediums, 1 offsite.

For Small Businesses I generally recommend a NAS device coupled with BackBlaze and a USB drive.

Apple’s Time Machine works well with a couple hard drives. Just be sure to cycle the drives to keep backups offsite. Store them at your workplace, home, Friends house, etc.

At the Very least, Buy a $60 1TB drive and manually copy files to it once in awhile. Trust me, It’s nice to have a backup when things fail.

Credit Freeze

Restrict access to your credit reports with a Credit Freeze

Minor inconvenience if you need to get a loan, find out which company they use and unfreeze with that company only. Cost is about $5 for each company… Annoying, but worth it for the peace of mind.

Rational Thought

Use some rational thought before blindly clicking on things. Do you have a virus every time your computer tells you that you do? Nope, probably not. It’s likely a fake web page designed to blow away your rational thought and trick you into downloading their “Fix”. Which is the actual virus.

I can’t tell you all of the ways someone is trying to scam you… but I can tell you that it’s always likely that someone is trying to scam you. (For the record, I’m not.)