2016 saw some of the biggest security hacks yet.
Here are a few of the biggest:
Yahoo – Hacked TWICE! The first hack compromised 500 million user accounts and happened in 2014, but was only discovered in 2016. The second hack was in 2013 and exposed more than 1 billion accounts. The 2013 hack was also only discovered in 2016.
LinkedIn – 117 million account details were compromised and sold on data sharing websites. This hack occurred in 2012, but again was only detected in 2016.
Tumblr – Millions of email addresses and passwords were stolen and available for sale on the dark web.
No company and no individual is 100% safe. You may ask yourself “how did I get here?” Oops, sorry that’s a Talking Heads song. You may ask yourself “if companies like Yahoo are getting hacked what can I do to protect myself?”
What to do:
1. Don’t use the same password: Each password should be different and also long (8 characters minimum) and complex (use upper and lower case letter as well as symbols).
2. Use a password manager: multiple complicated passwords are difficult to remember. The best option is to use a password manager to keep track of all the passwords for you. We recommend LastPass. USE IT.
3. Regularly change your passwords. Every 6 months is a good practice.
4. Use two-factor authentication: combining a strong password with ID verification makes the password stronger. Authentication methods allow a service to know it is you who is trying to login. Most websites and services work by sending the user a short code to a mobile device that is owned by them to prove identity. You have probably already experience this with your bank. Two Factor Auth is a comprehensive guide to which websites and services offer them.
Check and see if your email has been compromised here: https://haveibeenpwned.com/
The website Have I Been Pwned is operated by Troy Hunt a 39-year-old Australian security specialist that tracks every significant website breach. His site lets you check if your email has been hacked. Have I Been Pwned holds more than one billion hacked account details.
Surf safe my friends.
