WSVN — It seems like every time we turn around there’s news of yet another breach or hack of a major website with warnings to change your passwords. In tonight’s Money Monday, Lynn Martinez has tips from the experts that will help you protect your online accounts.
More than half of us bank online now and for those of us who do, you should know hackers have taken more than $1 billion from those same online accounts.
Fady Maghak: “There’s a lot of people doing business online and they need to be careful because there’s hackers out there trying to get at your information.”
Despite years of experience as a financial planner, Fady Maghak was fooled by the crooks.
Fady Maghak: “I had a personal experience here where a bank had sent me some information asking for some personal details.”
If he can be fooled, so can you, if you’re not following some simple guidelines.
First and foremost, never give out personal information. Don’t use the same password for multiple accounts and make the passwords strong.
Fady Maghak: “If you have a simple four or five digit pin, modern software allows computers to run 1,000 integration’s per minute and pretty much in four hours, they can crack the code.”
Be sure to change your passwords every few months.
Fady Maghak: “If anyone does gain access to your accounts, once you change your passwords, they’ll lose that access again.”
Don’t use personal information like pet’s names, your mother’s maiden name or your birthday as a password.
Don’t access personal accounts or exchange personal information over Wi-Fi in public restaurants or cafes.
Fady Maghak: “Your information can pretty much be hacked by anyone that’s sitting there and they can gain access to your bank accounts.”
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