It’s an ultimate nightmare scenario. You try to log into your social media accounts one by one, but your login credentials don’t work. In a state of panic, you try to access your banking and financial accounts, and it’s the same story. Soon, you realize that you’ve been hacked. But how did this happen? How can a cybercriminal gain control of your digital identity, and how do you prevent this from happening again?
Physical Theft
The first way is the most obvious. It’s easy for a bad actor to gain control of your digital platform by using your lost mobile phone, tablet, or laptop. It happens more often than you think. In fact, technology research company Gartner says that a laptop is stolen every 53 seconds. Here are some quick tips that may help:
- Use a nondescript bag to carry your laptop or device
- Activate two-factor authentication on all your accounts
- Take advantage of biometric verification to secure your systems
- Use long and dense passwords
- Change your login credentials as soon as your machine is misplaced
Back Door Attack
A back door attack is pretty dangerous. So, what is a backdoor attack and how can it breach your privacy? In a nutshell, a backdoor is when a cybercriminal opens unauthorized access to your system. Through a backdoor, a hacker can steal your personal and financial data, hijack your computer, or install some of the following types of malware to do more damage:
- Ransomware: This malware encrypts your data and demands a ransom for the decryption key.
- Spyware: Threat actors can use spyware to read the login credentials to your private accounts or commit identity theft.
- Keyloggers: By reading your keystrokes with a keylogger, a hacker can gain your usernames and passwords.
- Trojans: A Trojan relies on deception to breach your network defenses. Some Trojans help hackers take over your computer, mobile device, or bank and instant messaging accounts.
Use the best anti-malware software to protect yourself from malware attacks. Good anti-malware tools will stop all types of malware, including viruses. In addition, update your operating system and other essential software frequently to fix vulnerabilities that hackers may utilize.
Public WiFi
You’ve probably heard that you shouldn’t use public WiFi networks for sensitive work like banking or emailing because they’re unsecured. You can usually find public WiFi at the following locations:
- Cafes
- Airports
- Shopping malls
- Restaurants
- Salons
A hacker could use a fake WiFi network attack or a man-in-the-middle attack to steal your data and your identity in a public WiFi setting. Please activate your firewall to protect your network. You can also subscribe to a good VPN service to secure public WiFi connections. But avoid free VPNs as they use outdated technology and aren’t particularly trustworthy.
Social Media
You may think your public social media posts are harmless, but a threat actor could use them to piece together data to breach your accounts. For example, they may develop a more accurate dictionary attack to guess your passwords by using your information. Please limit sensitive posts to trusted people on your contact list to protect yourself.
Hackers are always looking for ways to breach our online security. Be wary of different threat vectors to protect your digital identity.