Scam Alert: How to Avoid Getting You and Everyone You Love Hacked

Nowadays, cybersecurity is more important than ever before. Think of all the information about you that’s stored online somewhere. If it falls into the wrong hands, someone very unscrupulous can get access to your pictures, personal details, bank details, even your smart home devices. Unfortunately criminals have become more cyber-savvy by the day and have ever more sophisticated ways of getting your information. That’s why we bring you this scam alert: how to avoid getting you and everyone you love hacked.

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Know the signs of being hacked

The first step in preventing getting hacked is knowing what hacking looks like. There are obvious signs like money missing from your accounts or your friends receiving messages from you that you definitely didn’t send. Less obvious signs that should make you ask, “Have I been hacked?” include random popups, unexpected software installs, your mouse pointer going haywire and your smartphone battery running out faster than usual.

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Have a good antivirus program on your computer

A good antivirus program is one of the easiest steps in how to prevent hacking. It will scan your computer not only for viruses but also for spyware and other tools that hackers use to get into your data. If you find all this tech stuff fascinating, you might be well suited for one of the best careers for women in tech.

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Have a good antivirus program on your phone

"How to block hackers from my phone?" This is probably not something you’ve thought of very often but since you basically use your smartphone as a small computer, it is just as vulnerable to hackers. This is why it needs a good antivirus program too.

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Beware of fake antivirus messages

Sometimes you’ll get a popup with a message from an antivirus product, telling you that it’s found malware on your computer. Usually you won’t be able to get out of this message unless you kill the browser. If this happens, save what you need to save and restore your system to an earlier date.

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Beware of fake tech support messages

A common scam is to send you a popup message that tells you that your computer has been compromised and you need to call their toll-free number, where you’ll then be asked to download software. This software can give the hackers access to your computer. Be especially wary if, for example, you get a message from "Microsoft" on an Apple computer.

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Person shopping online with a credit card

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Use a prepaid card for online shopping

Shopping online is one of the great ways to support local Canadian businesses during self-isolation. Using a prepaid card when you shop online is how to protect yourself from hackers draining your bank account. With a prepaid card, they can only get to the money loaded onto the card, rather than to your entire bank balance. YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: best credit cards in Canada in 2020.

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Don’t have one password for everything

One of the most basic principles in how to avoid hackers is to have multiple passwords. If you use one password for everything, you make it easier for hackers to access your social media accounts, email account, online bank account and even your home security system. Be sure you use passwords that combine letters, numbers and characters or use random phrases.

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Change your passwords regularly

To make it more difficult for hackers to get to your data, change your passwords a few times a year. However, don’t just recycle your old passwords. Instead, create entirely new ones.

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Don’t share too much on social media

Be careful about which details about yourself you share on social media. For example, those "getting to know you" Facebook quizzes where you share your favourite colour, favourite food and your cat’s name are great sources of information for hackers needing to get past the security questions for your accounts.

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Don’t use real answers for security questions

Online banks, email providers and the like usually have a set of security questions that you need to provide the answers to when you create an account. This is one of the methods they use to stop hackers. To be extra safe, don’t give real answers to these questions but instead, provide off-the-wall answers: What’s your mother’s maiden name? Peaches.

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Set your social media accounts to private

Setting your social media accounts to private is not only so your nosy aunt can’t snoop into your life. They keep hackers from finding out too much about you. Besides, do you really want strangers to see your baby pictures?

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Two-step verification on a phone and tablet

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Enable two-step verification

Especially for sites where you share sensitive information, such as your bank details, it’s a good idea to opt for two-step verification. With this, you can’t sign into the account from an unauthorized device unless you provide a code sent to your phone or email address. It may not help you curb your online shopping addiction but it will make it safer.

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Log out after you’ve logged in from shared devices

It’s safer to use only your laptop and phone to log into accounts but sometimes you may have to do it from someone else’s computer or even from an internet café. If you have to resort to this option, make sure that you log out of all your accounts when you’re done, or the next person using the device will have access to your accounts.

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Be careful about sharing your account info

If you readily share account info such as your login or your bank account number, you’re making yourself extra vulnerable to phishing. Your bank won’t ask the entire number but only a certain number of digits and they won’t phone or email you asking for that info.

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Use alias emails

Often you need to enter an email address to complete a survey, sign a petition, and the like. Create several alias email accounts that you can use for these rather than your main account. This limits the information hackers can get access to, as well as the spam you’ll receive.

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Lock your phone

The chances of having to google "How to remove a hacker from my phone" are much smaller if others can’t access your phone in the first place. Use a secure PIN — one that isn’t your birthday — or fingerprint recognition to lock your phone when you’re not using it.

People using public wi-fi at a coffee shop

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Beware of public Wi-Fi

Of course public Wi-Fi is convenient and, more importantly, it’s usually free, but is it worth the risk? Hackers can spy on everything you do while you’re connected to these networks. It's better to use mobile data, especially when travelling. But make sure you know how to make your phone batter last longer.

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Download apps only from trusted sources

Reputable sources for apps, such as Google Play or Apple's App Store, usually have built-in security to limit malware that can give hackers access to your devices. Use only these sources for downloading apps.

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Update regularly

Update your system and apps regularly to make sure you have the latest versions. This way, hackers can’t attack your old software. If you’re worried about updates using all your data, change the settings to only update using Wi-Fi or to not use more than the bandwidth you specify.

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Have tested offline backups

While backing up your work offline isn’t going to prevent hacking, it will mitigate the damage if you’ve been hacked. The reason for having good, tested backups offline is that sophisticated hackers can get into your online backups too.

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