Strategies for Protecting Your Online Identity

Between 2020 and 2021, the Identity Theft Research Center (ITRC) reported a 68 percent increase in the number of data breaches. From personal information like your name, home address or Social Security number (SSN), to financial information like your bank account numbers, most of us put a lot of personal data on the web. While taking advantage of online banking, social media and other online services have plenty of benefits, it can also lead to that personal information falling into the hands of cybercriminals.

Keeping your online identity safe from hackers and other criminals means getting smart about what you share, where you share it and the measures that you take to protect it. Keep reading to learn a few strategies that can help you stay safe while still enjoying your favorite online activities.

Rethink What You Share

Whether you’re scrolling social media or paying bills online, it’s always important to think about the type of information you should be sharing on various sites. For instance, it’s natural for your bank to ask you for your home address or cell phone number when registering your online bank account, but what if a social media platform were to prompt you to provide that same information? It’s important to never share personal information somewhere that it isn’t necessary. And even if it is necessary, it’s important to check that precautions are being taken to protect your information once it’s shared.

The data and personal details that you share on the web make up your online identity. While sharing your cell phone number in one Facebook group might not seem like a big deal, information on the web is rarely contained to just one location. That number could be visible to someone outside of that group and help cyber criminals to build a profile about you that they can then use to hack other accounts or gain access to even more sensitive personal data.

Get Smart About Your Passwords

Researchers have found that most Americans choose to either memorize passwords for their online accounts or write them down with pen and paper. Unfortunately, relying on memory often leads internet users to opt for easy-to-remember passwords — the top four most common are “123456,” “123456789,” “Qwerty,” and “Password.” 

Getting smart about not only the passwords that you choose but also where you store them can help keep cyber criminals from accessing your online accounts.

Invest in Personal Cybersecurity

Rethinking what you share and the passwords you use to protect your accounts can help slow down cybercriminals, but hacking, malware and other criminal tactics can still get past these defenses.

Investing in personal cybersecurity is the best way to protect your online identity. In the same way that a security system with cameras and alarms lets you know who is trying to get into your home and provides a defense mechanism to stop them, cybersecurity locks criminals out of your online accounts, and lets you know when they try to get in, and from where. With identity protection from LifeLock.com, you get a variety of security tools, like alerts when your SSN appears online, credit monitoring and more.

Protecting Your Online Identity

Protecting your online identity can save you time, money and stress. From rethinking what you share and where you share it, to choosing better passwords and investing in personal cybersecurity, these strategies can help to keep you safe from cyber criminals so you can keep enjoying online services like virtual banking, social media and more.