You cannot avoid being hacked, but you can still protect yourself from some of the repercussions of a having your accounts hacked due to a database breach.
Episode #9-32 released on March 24, 2019
I am going to be blunt, if you haven't had one of your accounts hacked, you are going to sometime in the future. Chances are though, you are just not aware that someone has hacked a website you use and has stolen the user account database. There is very little that can be done after the fact, too. Once, the hack has occurred, it is a race for companies to solve the issues from the time of notification to the time the first possible attempt against your account. But there is a grander problem you may not be aware of.
These databases contain more than just passwords, they contain usernames, email addresses, and other information about you. Really old databases that were hacked often weren't protected in any way. Maybe the passwords were hashed, but chances are they weren't salted or encrypted after.
Now, knowing all this, remember my episode of those scam emails where people try to blackmail you into giving them money using your old password as evidence, they hacked you? Well, there are more likely scenarios.
One particularly likely scenario is that the people who end up acquiring the database will try to enter your account and may try accessing other websites with the same account information. They do this because most of you may be using the same username, password and email everywhere. They are far more likely to go after more interesting targets to. Social networking, bank accounts, online shopping accounts, etc. Anything where they can leverage your account information for profit. They may attempt to take control of your email account, too.
What does that mean for you?
There is no way you can avoid being the victim of a hack, but you can mitigate the risks of being hacked. It isn't enough to just use a complicated password. This is because some websites use lack luster forms of security to protect passwords and other information. What you need is a unique complicated password for every account, and to use 2FA whenever possible.
And, for those security questions, make sure the answers are not real. In the age of social networking, a few clicks and the information to answer most of those security questions is available for anyone.
Host : Steve Smith | Music : | Editor : Steve Smith | Producer : Zed Axis Dot Net