There are two kinds of users. The first is those who say that they have nothing hide or cover and the second is those who use all available data protection techniques to keep their personal details secure SMS OTP.

This article can be used by either the first or second type of person. These techniques are known by people of the second category, who apply them almost every day.

What can you do today?

It is important to keep a backup copy.

Change weak passwords to stronger ones

Copy information that has been stored in the Cloud.

Why would you need to keep a copy of important data as a back-up?

Let’s start by asking if it is possible to save your hard disk copy on other media. Software improvements are not separate from malware. Ransomware viruses are now particularly active. Ransomware virus infects your computer and blocks access to your files. It demands payment to decode your files. Sometimes, the ransomware virus can block access to your computer’s data and require payment. In such a situation, encrypted data may be lost forever.

Unfortunately, these cases are not uncommon. You can get a malicious code even via a simple JavaScript in your browser. It is possible to recover important personal data and protect it against fraud if you backup your data at least once per week.

Why should you reset your passwords

A list with the most frequently used passwords on Ashley Madison’s website was published in autumn 2015. A list of the most used passwords by Ashley Madison was made public at the end 2015 year. These lists, which have a majority of the same points, indicate that people don’t like to complicate life and opt for simple passwords. They stick to simple combinations like password1, password1, password1, qwerty etc. Make it difficult to brute force when you come up with a new password.

But even this is not enough. Unfortunately, online fraudsters are always improving their skills. Soon, they will not be in a position to get every password. What then is the best way to protect your personal details? Protecting your personal data cannot be done by passwords. It is best to use at the very least two-factor authentication.

Two different authentication methods are needed to log into 2-factor authentication. The first factor is something your know (usually login and password), while the second factor it something you already have (usually, it is an OTP token or app on your smartphone that generates a unique password), it can also be sent via SMS and voice calls.

This means that even if a fraudster gets your main password, they won’t be able to get through the next authentication steps. It’s the reverse. A fraudster can’t log in even if he has your one-time passcode generator token or your mobile phone. For corporate emails and bank accounts, two-factor authentication is essential.

But 2FA should not be used without static passwords. They play an important function in two factor authentication because they are one of the two factors, a knowledge factor.

Why should you create a duplicate of the information from cloud?

We’ve seen many users face blank when they suddenly couldn’t find important documents they had saved in cloud services. This could happen at any time. Think twice about leaving your sensitive information in Gmail, Dropbox and any other service. Keep a copy on your computer.