Passwords protect your digital world
It’s not exactly the most exciting part of owning technology but ensuring your computer, mobile device and online accounts are safe and secure is essential if you don’t want your personal data to be at risk. Internet giant Yahoo came under serious scrutiny in 2016 when news broke of two massive data breaches, one of which compromised more than 1 billion user accounts.
That’s a lot of potential risk. But since it’s basically impossible for regular users to prevent these kinds of hacks, what can we do?
The easiest and most effective steps to protect yourself are to use strong, different passwords for everything, and to enable two-factor authentication (2FA). These days 2FA is available for almost every major tech service, and it ensures an extra layer of security, requiring logins from new or unrecognised devices to confirm their authenticity by, for example, entering a code sent to your mobile. It’s a small step but it offers a lot of protection against anybody trying to use your credentials.
Running security and VPN (virtual private network) software gives you even more safeguards, not to mention peace of mind.
What is it? 1Password
How much? From $US2.99 ($3.90) a month.
Pros: Can’t remember a zillion passwords? Password managers such as 1Password mean you only need to remember one, with the app storing all the rest for you in an encrypted digital wallet. It generates strong (randomised and long) passwords and works on both PCs and mobile devices, including various browser and app integrations.
Cons: Don’t want to pay? Check out the excellent Last Pass (which is now also free on mobile) and other free alternatives.
What is it? Private Internet Access
How much? From $US39.95 ($52) a year
Pros: VPNs anonymise all the data you download. Put simply, by subscribing to a VPN all the internet traffic to and from your device gets routed through a tunnel that encrypts and anonymises your data, making it theoretically impossible for you to be snooped on. It also hides your location, meaning you can access geo-blocked content online.
Cons: Do some research to ensure the provider is trustworthy.
What is it? Symantec Norton Security Premium How much? From $79.99 a year.
Pros: You can manage your passwords, enable two-factor authentication and anonymise your traffic but none of these can protect you from malware or dangerous content online. Norton Security Premium has standard anti-virus features plus other functionalities, including a firewall and online backup.
Cons: Entry-level version supports only one device. For multiple licences you’ll need to upgrade. There’s a big range of competitor products (some free).
privateinternetaccess.com
1password.com
au.norton.com