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The Two Main Reasons You’ll Get Hacked in 2021

You are your own worst enemy!

Why do we say that? Because some of you have got into some bad habits and you’re predictable!

The two main reasons people get hacked are weaknesses in software and weaknesses in human behaviour. While you can’t do much about weaknesses in your software you can improve your own behaviour and get into good habits.

We live so much of our lives online today and so if your accounts aren’t properly protected your credit cards could be compromised or your private messages and photographs stolen and shared for all to see. 

So, we thought we’d share five things you could do to stop yourself getting hacked in 2021.

Use multi-factor authentication.

This is probably the most effective thing you can do to protect your online accounts. By turning on multi-factor, or two-factor, authentication for as many of your accounts as possible, you will need to enter a second piece of information – often a code generated by an app or sent via SMS – as well as a password.

The fact is that even if you have a password that’s easy to guess, an attacker is unlikely to get access to an account with multi-factor authentication turned on unless they have your phone.

Get a password manager.

Let’s face it, in 2021 you shouldn’t be using a password that’s easy to guess and you should never use the same password for multiple accounts.

All your passwords should be strong and unique. In addition, they should be long and include a mixture of different character types. 

The best way to do this is by using a password manager. Password managers create strong passwords for you and store them securely. The other benefit of a password manager is that you’ll never struggle to remember a forgotten password again.

Learn how to spot a phishing attack.

When you get a new email or text message and it includes something that can be tapped or clicked, think about where it’s come from before you do anything.

Hackers are clever. Their latest trick is to use the vaccination program to launch a wave of phishing attacks.