With the number of data breaches continuing to rise every year, nobody is truly ever safe from online hackers. And now that AI tools are so readily available, it’s never been easier for hackers to steal data and use it however they wish.
In the past year alone, a reported 93% of organizations had two or more identity-related breaches, leading us to ask the question: is sharing your data online ever safe anymore?
If you’re rightly concerned about your risk of hacking and identity theft, keep reading. This guide shares everything you should know about protecting your personal and business data from online hackers.
Use an Online SMS Verification Service
How many times have you handed over your personal phone number to an unfamiliar website without thinking twice? This always carries some element of risk: some sites collect and sell user data, while others just don’t have the strongest security measures in place. It’s extremely common for even well-known online services to get targeted by a data breach, causing phone numbers to be leaked to scammers and hackers.
If you want to limit how often you share your number online, especially when you’re concerned about the safety or legitimacy of a service, it’s a good idea to use an online SMS verification service like https://www.smspool.net/. These services give you single-use phone numbers to receive temporary codes without exposing your real number, so you don’t have to share your personal info.
Enable Two-Factor Authentication
Two-factor authentication is one of the best ways to keep your data safe when you’re using online services. Even if your password gets stolen, hackers won’t be able to log into your account unless they also have access to your email address or phone number.
You can also set up two-factor authentication with apps like Google Authenticator or Authy, which you can use to access time-sensitive codes to enter your account. If hackers don’t have access to these, they won’t be able to get any further. Just be wary of SMS-based two-factor authentication too much—it’s all too easy for your phone number to be hijacked through SIM swapping.
Use Suggested Strong Passwords
If you’re still using the same password you first thought up 10 years ago, and you’re using it across multiple accounts, you’re basically putting all those accounts at risk if one site gets breached by hackers.
For most sites, Google will now ask you whether you want it to create a strong, unique password for you. This is an easy way to make sure all your passwords are different and unique enough to be un-guessable.
Takeaway
So, there you have it: some of the best ways to protect your data when you’re using services online.
The more barriers you put in place, the safer your information will be. Remember that hackers look for easy targets, so the more steps you can take to keep your data safe, the less likely you are to be targeted.
