A master checklist for securing your online life.
"Only the paranoid survive."
A master checklist to secure your online life.
This is a work in progress. Comments and feedback are much appreciated. If you have any suggestions, please submit a PR or tweet @adilmajid.
The whole document and each individual section begin with the simplest changes.
Note: I'm not affiliated with any products linked below, nor do I get any kind of commission/freebies/highfives for linking to them. They're just good products for the job that I have used.
Disclaimer: this is a list of good practices, but no guarantees, obviously.
Virtually every online service you use stores some of your personal information. It could be as basic as your name and email address. Or it could be highly personal, like your sexual orientation, your notes and documents, your credit card information, your messages… so on. This is information you want kept safe.
Many services are broadcast platforms, meaning you want to make sure nobody should be able to access these accounts other than you.
Whether you've been affected by the Equifax hack or not, take the following steps to secure your credit.
Most people don't think about this one, but it matters. Leaving personal information lying around is a liability.
You have personal data in all of your accounts. Some of those accounts can broadcast information to the internet on your behalf (think Instagram, Twitter, or a blog). If you aren’t using an account, delete it. They’re a vulnerability.
Google accounts store some of our most personal information—emails, photos, docs, location history. If you use Gmail for email, then your Google account is the portal through which other accounts can be compromised (if someone gets control of your Gmail, they can use "Forgot Password" on other sites and lock you out of everything). Securing it is high-leverage use of time.
Go to Google MyActivity and...
Facebook may be the only account that is as valuable as your Google account. Below are some Facebook-specific features to help to lock it down.
A SIM swap attack is when a hacker calls your cell provider and convinced them to transfer your phone number to them. They then use your number to gain access to your other accounts. More Info