My Friend Got Hacked: 5 Simple Measures Can Help You Avoid the Same Fate

Don’t be next

I got the text about lunchtime.

“My Instagram account’s been hacked, and I’m locked out. Some low-life piece of crap is posing as me and sending links. Do not reply or click. Sorry, everyone.”

Sam’s a DJ. Not the type you’ll find in a club wearing stackable multi-colored bracelets, but he may have played at your cousin’s wedding.

Hackers changed his Instagram password and contact details, the equivalent of an account hostage situation. This matters deeply to Sam because his Instagram feed houses his brand, social proof, and client engagement, and now some cyberpunk is threatening to demolish his hard work.

We’ve all got a lot at stake online.

Our money, reputation, and professional success have a digital heartbeat.

Personal cyber security often lives in the too-hard basket, or the I’ll get to it at some point basket. These baskets keep the place tidy but don’t stop cybercriminals from touching, taking, and ruining your stuff.

Luckily we don’t need killer technical skills, endless hours, or large wads of cash to protect ourselves.

Let’s start with five simple measures that are relevant and accessible to all of us.

1. Did you miss the brief?

The original idea made sense; now it’s all twisted.

We used to pick a secret code we could remember, our password, and use it like a deadlock on our doors.

Not anymore.

Conventional password wisdom shifted because we went wild and built a digital world with a bazillion systems and services and cool technology that lets you do lots of clever things really fast.

Cyber experts like Troy Hunt now say the only good password is one you can’t remember. We’re told we need strong, unique passwords for every account we own.

A bunch of us missed the memo.

A survey by NordPass found 12345 was the most used password in the United States in 2021. The second most common password was, well, password.

Considering most of us are up to our eyebrows in apps and tech, you might wonder how that possibly happened.

Perhaps we got the password brief after all but found it aggravating. We had more pressing things to worry about, like jobs and kids and macramé plant holder projects, so we put it in the bin and moved on.

Whatever the reason, it leaves our accounts vulnerable, which leaves us vulnerable.

This is why we need a Password Manager. They create strong and unique passwords for each account you add and store them securely.

Don’t wait for an invitation. Get one.

2. Protect your long johns with an obstacle course

So the bad guys have their finest hoodies on, and they’re ready to get down to the core business of thieving.

Because passwords alone sometimes fail to protect us, the cyber security community wants us to use a short obstacle course instead.

There are no Home Alone style flamethrowers or falling bricks; they’re too messy. Instead, this is where two-factor authentication comes in.

Have I lost you? You know that bit where you log in, and then you get a code or use Face ID? That’s two-factor authentication in action.

Just quietly, this type of security measure has a problem.

It annoys people.

It means that when you’re using your laptop and you go to buy merino long johns from Amazon, you have to track down your phone, which may be in your handbag or on your desk or in a pile of washing somewhere.

It seems like an efficiency kill-joy but turn your two-factor authentication on, at least for your email, bank and shopping accounts, and social media. We can afford to suffer a little inconvenience if it keeps things we value safe.

As for effectiveness, Google Authenticator is better than using a code sent to your phone by SMS, but using code on your phone is significantly better than a password alone.

3. The one time it’s good to be stingy

Some of us give away our personal data like it’s Halloween candy.

Sure I’ve never met you before, and I don’t know what you’re going to do with my personal data or where you’ll keep it, but you asked me for some, so enjoy!

The pizza loyalty program wants your date of birth. The hairdresser’s form requires your home and postal address. The shoe store wants your occupation details.

We trustingly hand over our personal data to companies every day.

But what many of us don’t realize is data gets stolen and leaked all the time.

That’s why we need to practice being stingy with our personal data. Please don’t give it away like it’s worthless candy.

4. Keep up, baby

I don’t keep up with all trends.

I’m not sold on chunky loafers or hoodies under blazers.

But sometimes, you need to keep pace. Keeping your software update-to-date is a must. If you don’t understand why it’s important, let me break it down for you.

Let’s say there’s an app called EatBananas. The makers of this app realize there’s an open door in their code which lets bad guys sniff around and steal account data.

That’s not good, so the EatBananas team gets busy. They create a software update to fix the problem. Then the team publicly announces they’ve released an update that fixes a system vulnerability.

Great work, team! We don’t want slapdash software that lets hackers creep around.

But now we’ve got a new problem.

Not only do we know about the system vulnerability, but so does every cyberpunk on the planet. If you don’t update your software, not only have you left the door open, but shady people know about it.

Keeping software up-to-date needs to stay on our list of boring but necessary jobs.

Sometimes people dodge updates because they fear software issues and ill-conceived functionality changes. But, unless you’re confident about the security implications of each update, use auto-updates and run them.

5. Declutter your devices

One summer, I caught Marie Kondo fever and decluttered my home.

No sock, paper clip, or duplicate utensil was spared judgment.

Keep? Or give. Do we need it? Does it spark joy or have a functional purpose? Do we have multiple items that do the same job? Most things we parted with were the legacy of past needs.

We’ve now entered the age of digital clutter.

We download apps and then forget about them, so they accumulate like spare pens in a desk drawer, taking up space and adding no value.

But digital clutter isn’t just messy; it adds risk. Each piece of software is another potential open door into our digital life.

The adage have less, enjoy more works in the digital sphere too.

Cyberpunks don’t discriminate

Cybercriminals don’t care that DJ Sam is hard-working, generous, and insists on playing the B-52s’ Love Shack at every event.

They don’t care that he’s not super-rich or Insta famous.

Hackers checked every house on the digital street, and Sam’s place was easy to bust into, so they did. The hacked account cost him income, clients, and countless hours trying to fix things.

No one needs that type of grief.

Cyber security is complex, but a few strategic and straightforward measures can help keep us and our digital assets safe.

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