How Hackers Get Your Information
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No one wants their private information leaked to criminals or hackers. However, if you have any online presence, there’s a chance that someone could impersonate you, infiltrate your personal accounts, or otherwise find a way to steal from you.
Don’t let hackers get your information! Make it hard on them by shoring up your digital security and following good online habits. Here are the main ways hackers can access your personal information and what you can do to stop them.
It might seem straightforward, but the most reliable way for hackers to get into your account is by sending you fake emails that try to trick you into putting your login and password into a field that just sends information back to hackers. These schemes are extremely common, but that thankfully makes them easy to spot.
Never open any links in emails from senders you don’t know. Ignore text messages that include links, and report any suspicious messages as soon as you see them. Block any bizarre senders who inundate you with messages and keep your passwords and logins private. Don’t give the hackers a crumb of data to use against you.
Sometimes hackers get lucky and manage to find a security vulnerability in a website, allowing them to access things like passwords, usernames, and the personal information of registered users. When this happens, all you can do is change your passwords and hope the damage was limited. However, scammers also know that once they have one of your passwords, they might be able to guess others.
Never reuse passwords on multiple sites. If one becomes compromised, it could lead to all your other accounts becoming compromised. Use a different login on each site so that a single hacking attempt doesn’t compromise your entire online footprint.
Some hackers are dedicated to getting your information. They might go as far as breaking into your house or rifling through your trash to find your written passwords or other such information. This is why you should keep your passwords hidden and safe and never throw away papers that include sensitive information.
If you need to write a password down, shred it once you’ve secured it in a digital password catalog. That way it’s much harder for a criminal to steal your information. If you know people want to break into your bank accounts and other online accounts, take care to keep your doors locked when you’re away from home and install a security system to catch any would-be thieves.