Cybercriminals are constantly after your emails and their respective credentials because your emails are a jackpot to every information they want. Besides being the oldest and most commonly used form of communication on the internet, your email has another side which cybercriminals are interested in. Your email is one thing that ties most of your online accounts together.
If your email gets compromised, cybercriminals will get everything they want. For instance, they can find out what services and what accounts you use your email to log in, they can change passwords and even change your email password. Also, cybercriminals can cover their tracks to avoid raising intrusion suspicion by deleting their activities. With identity theft, they can even log into your bank accounts, or even loan themselves a lump sum amount of funds from other online sources. They can also compromise your other email contacts and even propagate more sophisticated malware.
To avoid all this, you need to protect your email, and it’s an easy task as outlined in the following tips;
- Use a unique stronger password or biometrics and two-factor authentication (2FA)
The first step to ensure that your email is secure is by ensuring that you’re the only one that can only log into the service. Passwords are the most common form of credentials used to log in. To securely protect your email, use a strong, unique password that follows password creation guidelines. Or you can get a password manager utility. This utility can be used to create un-hackable passwords, manage them as well as store them. You can also opt for passwordless logins – a new technique that uses your biometrics instead of passwords since passwords can be cracked.
Also, set up 2FA as it provides a layer of security on top of your password. 2FA verifies your identity, and it helps prevent unauthorized logins and password resets.
Before signing up for any email service, ensure that it provides secure 2FA services.
- Secure your router and Wi-Fi
A secure router means that your home network is safe and by extension your email is secure. Also, secure your Wi-Fi hotspot to keep malicious actors out of your network. A secure router prevents unauthorized access to your network, and it also shuts down anyone trying to hack into your system.
- Avoid public Wi-Fi/public computers
Public Wi-Fi is a hub for malicious actors waiting to pounce on unsuspecting users. With public Wi-Fi, malicious actors can easily gain access to your data by analyzing your internet traffic. This analysis can reveal your usernames, passwords and other information. Among them, malicious actors can get access to your emails and respective passwords. Public computers on the other hands can be loaded with malware such keyloggers which collect data you input into the computers.
- Don’t click suspicious links in the email
Cybercriminals can use your email to trick you into revealing your other sensitive information in what is called phishing. Phishing attacks usually have links in which users are enticed to click. This links may contain malware or open up another website where users are required to fill up some information to proceed with either winning some smartphone and other rewards. Sometimes, malicious actors can send you a fake “your account has been compromised” email and prompt you to reset your password by clicking a certain link. You will be required to enter your original password, and that’s what malicious actors will be interested in.
- Get a reputable antivirus/antimalware
A good antivirus/antimalware software provides real-time protection and notifies you/ blocks phishing attempts, and also protects you against malware and other malicious threats. You should update your antivirus and make sure you install it in all your devices.
- Keep your devices/software up-to-date
Malicious actors exploit vulnerabilities in systems and software to gain access to your data. Updates provide patches and fixes for known vulnerabilities and other flaws. As a rule of thumb regarding cybersecurity, you should always keep all your devices and apps up to date, including your router.
Use a VPN – IPBurger VPN
A VPN protects you while on the internet and also makes you anonymous. A VPN achieves this by encrypting your internet traffic and making it impossible for prying eyes to gain access to it. A VPN also masks your IP address with a virtual IP address, and this gives you privacy.
IPBurger VPN is available for all your devices, and if you have devices that don’t support native VPN installation, you can go for IPBurger VPN for routers and protect everything in your home network.
