{"id":28663,"date":"2023-10-22T11:50:35","date_gmt":"2023-10-22T11:50:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/personal-finance\/7-simple-ways-to-protect-yourself-from-cyberattacks-according-to-an-international-expert\/"},"modified":"2023-10-22T11:50:36","modified_gmt":"2023-10-22T11:50:36","slug":"7-simple-ways-to-protect-yourself-from-cyberattacks-according-to-an-international-expert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/?p=28663","title":{"rendered":"7 Simple Ways To Protect Yourself From Cyberattacks, According To An International Expert"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

The risks to our personal finances\u2014and our very identity\u2014posed by cybersecurity threats were scary enough before the machines started to think for themselves. Now with the emergence of AI into our daily workflows, it seems there is no better time to take another look at this issue and ask the question, \u201cHow can we best shield ourselves from cybersecurity attacks?\u201d And who better to ask than an international expert on the topic?<\/p>\n

In this case, it wasn\u2019t hard to find one. For years, my work in the arena of personal finance has oft been confused with the writing of one of our foremost experts in cybersecurity\u2014because we share the same name. Dr. Tim Maurer is a Harvard grad, former Homeland Security appointee, and current Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and after being confused many times online, we finally decided to team up for an article to help you shield you\u2014and your money\u2014from the myriad threats posed by cybersecurity attacks.<\/p>\n

Maurer is regularly considering the impact of cybersecurity on large corporations, municipalities, and countries. But, I wanted to know: When you think about cybersecurity and its impact on individuals and households, what are the first few recommendations you\u2019d make for us regular folk?<\/p>\n

\u201cThe good news,\u201d he told me, \u201cis that there are actually a number of actions you and I can take.\u201d Whew! Some are classics that still apply today, and others are helping to keep up with an ever-evolving landscape.<\/p>\n

<\/fbs-ad><\/p>\n

Here are 7 ways to shield yourself from cybersecurity attacks:<\/strong><\/h2>\n

1. Use multi-factor authentication. <\/strong><\/h3>\n

Multi-factor authentication is when you log into your online bank or other important accounts where, in addition to your password, they require another form of confirmation\u2014like sending a text message to your mobile phone, for example. Most accounts these days give you the option to add multi-factor authentication, but many of us just hit the \u201cSkip\u201d button and move on with our days. But clicking \u201cYes,\u201d Maurer recommends, could be the very step that helps secure our accounts.<\/p>\n

2. Choose harder-to-guess passwords.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Yes, this one may be old news, but I know there are still people out there rolling with \u201c1 2 3 4\u201d for their PIN code and \u201cpassword\u201d for their password. A strong password will have at least 12 characters and include a mix of upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.<\/p>\n

And maybe you\u2019ve evolved to use a better password, but you use the same one for just about everything. It may be time to use a password app or third-party service, where you only have to remember your primary password, and it generates unique, cryptic passwords for each of your logins.<\/p>\n

Dr. Maurer acknowledges, \u201cIf you are a large company or a government, things, like \u2018concentration risk,\u2019 may be a reason not to use a single third-party or app that will hold all of your passwords centrally\u2014but it\u2019s not something you need to worry as much about as an everyday American.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here he made another excellent point, that there are tradeoffs to be considered in all of these cybersecurity decisions, so while there may be a slight risk to an individual for centralizing all of your passwords with a single entity, there is a greater risk to attempting to maintain scores of disparate passwords.<\/p>\n

3. Don\u2019t log in to sensitive accounts using unsecured networks.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Yes, that means the networks at your hotel or on the plane.<\/p>\n

4. Freeze your credit.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

One of the scariest things I learned from Maurer is that, \u201cWe simply can\u2019t rely on the security of our Social Security numbers.\u201d Over the course of our lifetimes, too many people and companies have gained access to this most sensitive of our sensitive identifiers. And if they have access to our Social Security number, they have access to our credit, one of the most important things to protect.<\/p>\n

So, how can we stop hackers from gaining access to our credit\u2014even if they have our Social Security number? Freeze it. By freezing your credit, you make it impossible for anyone<\/em> to access your credit.<\/p>\n

How? Go to each of the three major credit bureaus\u2014Equifax
\n EFX
\n <\/fbs-ticker>, Experian, and Transunion\u2014and \u201cfreeze\u201d or \u201clock\u201d your credit. You can do this by mail or phone, but you can also affect these changes online (with multi-factor authentication, of course!) in a matter of minutes.<\/p>\n

Please know that if you freeze your credit, virtually no one can access it. Therefore, if you plan to use your credit for any reason, you\u2019ll need to \u201cunfreeze\u201d and \u201crefreeze,\u201d or better yet, just \u201cthaw\u201d your credit for a stated timeframe. For example, if you\u2019re buying a new car and plan to use your credit, ask the lender which credit bureau they use and then thaw your credit with that bureau for the necessary time.<\/p>\n

Parents, you may also seriously consider freezing your children\u2019s credit\u2014because if they have a Social Security number, they have a credit file, and it may just be your kids\u2019 unmonitored credit that makes for low-hanging fruit for hackers and thieves.<\/p>\n

5. Use credit cards with chips, not debit cards.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

I know it might not suit the Dave Ramsey schtick, but unless you actually have an addiction to credit card spending, their utilization is one of the best ways to hold onto your cash\u2014because you\u2019re using someone else\u2019s.<\/p>\n

This was a recommendation I first heard from Frank Abagnale, Jr., the former fraudster turned FBI informant made popular by Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks in the great movie, Catch Me If You Can<\/em>, and this recommendation is purely about logistics.<\/p>\n

While most debit cards still have a degree of protection that will help you reclaim your money if stolen, if someone steals your debit card and runs up a bunch of purchases, it is your<\/em> money that is lost and in need of finding. If you\u2019re using a credit card, however, it\u2019s the credit card company\u2019s money that they\u2019ll be hunting down. Of course, if you leave a balance on the card monthly, the benefits to be gained from this are muted if not eliminated\u2014because then the credit card company is \u201cstealing\u201d your money with exorbitant interest rates.<\/p>\n

6. Get creative with the answers to your security questions.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

You know those security questions about Mom\u2019s maiden name, Dad\u2019s middle name, your first crush, and your favorite pet? Well, you may be required to give these answers, but \u201cthere is usually no requirement for you to answer the specific question that was asked,\u201d Dr. Maurer told me.<\/p>\n

Ahh, so you could just respond to the question, \u201cWho was your first crush?\u201d with the answer for \u201cWhat was the name of your favorite pet?\u201d Yup! Because if you\u2019re answering all of the same questions the same way, it\u2019ll only make it easier for hackers to access multiple accounts of yours if they crack the code for one.<\/p>\n

7. Track your transactions.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

So, should we just eschew online banking altogether? Maurer suggests no. Most of the big financial companies have some of the best security systems and protocols, so we\u2019re better off getting to know and understand these protocols than we are keeping our heads in the proverbial sand.<\/p>\n

And even then, it\u2019s still entirely possible that your information will be stolen. There\u2019s only so much we can do to proactively forestall this eventuality. So, one of the best ways to ensure any damage is limited is one of the most old-fashioned: track your transactions.<\/p>\n

I do this weekly as part of my budgeting process using a top-notch third-party software while Dr. Maurer does it monthly using, of all things, a paper statement that he can scan and check off.<\/p>\n

So, what about AI?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This, Maurer suggests, is actually a good-news-bad-news story. The bad news is that the advent of AI has made it even easier for foreign-language cyber attackers to seamlessly translate their cryptic false messages into fluid English. But, it\u2019s not all bad news. AI\u2019s ability to rewrite more secure website code may actually help enhance the security of more sites.<\/p>\n

As you look at the above list, what is something you can do to improve your personal cybersecurity defense systems?<\/h3>\n

\u201cIt really is about putting a few things in place so that you’re better protected than you currently are, and that will make a huge difference and will make it so much harder for any cyber criminal to really get at you or your money.\u201d Take it from Tim Maurer. Dr. Tim Maurer, the international cybersecurity expert, that is.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Read the full article here<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The risks to our personal finances\u2014and our very identity\u2014posed by cybersecurity threats were scary enough before the machines started to think for themselves. Now with the emergence of AI into our daily workflows, it seems there is no better time to take another look at this issue and ask the question, \u201cHow can we best<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28664,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-28663","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-personal-finance"},"yoast_head":"\n7 Simple Ways To Protect Yourself From Cyberattacks, According To An International Expert | Micro Loan Nexus<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The risks to our personal finances\u2014and our very identity\u2014posed by cybersecurity threats were scary enough before the machines started to think for\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/?p=28663\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"7 Simple Ways To Protect Yourself From Cyberattacks, According To An International Expert | Micro Loan Nexus\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The risks to our personal finances\u2014and our very identity\u2014posed by cybersecurity threats were scary enough before the machines started to think for\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/?p=28663\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Micro Loan Nexus\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-10-22T11:50:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-10-22T11:50:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/1697975435_0x0.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1350\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"News Room\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"News Room\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/?p=28663#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/?p=28663\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"News Room\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/#\/schema\/person\/e2d3b62d35ac325be68540d68dc6660a\"},\"headline\":\"7 Simple Ways To Protect Yourself From Cyberattacks, According To An International Expert\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-10-22T11:50:35+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-10-22T11:50:36+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/?p=28663\"},\"wordCount\":1457,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Personal Finance\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/?p=28663#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/?p=28663\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/?p=28663\",\"name\":\"7 Simple Ways To Protect Yourself From Cyberattacks, According To An International Expert | Micro Loan Nexus\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2023-10-22T11:50:35+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-10-22T11:50:36+00:00\",\"description\":\"The risks to our personal finances\u2014and our very identity\u2014posed by cybersecurity threats were scary enough before the machines started to think for\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/?p=28663#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/?p=28663\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/?p=28663#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"7 Simple Ways To Protect Yourself From Cyberattacks, According To An International Expert\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/\",\"name\":\"Solutions For Real\",\"description\":\"Latest Finance News and Updates\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Solutions For Real\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/sf-logo-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/sf-logo-1.png\",\"width\":690,\"height\":64,\"caption\":\"Solutions For Real\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/#\/schema\/person\/e2d3b62d35ac325be68540d68dc6660a\",\"name\":\"News Room\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/avatar_user_1_1691264579-96x96.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/avatar_user_1_1691264579-96x96.png\",\"caption\":\"News Room\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"7 Simple Ways To Protect Yourself From Cyberattacks, According To An International Expert | Micro Loan Nexus","description":"The risks to our personal finances\u2014and our very identity\u2014posed by cybersecurity threats were scary enough before the machines started to think for","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/?p=28663","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"7 Simple Ways To Protect Yourself From Cyberattacks, According To An International Expert | Micro Loan Nexus","og_description":"The risks to our personal finances\u2014and our very identity\u2014posed by cybersecurity threats were scary enough before the machines started to think for","og_url":"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/?p=28663","og_site_name":"Micro Loan Nexus","article_published_time":"2023-10-22T11:50:35+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-10-22T11:50:36+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1350,"height":900,"url":"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/1697975435_0x0.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"News Room","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"News Room","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/?p=28663#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/?p=28663"},"author":{"name":"News Room","@id":"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/#\/schema\/person\/e2d3b62d35ac325be68540d68dc6660a"},"headline":"7 Simple Ways To Protect Yourself From Cyberattacks, According To An International Expert","datePublished":"2023-10-22T11:50:35+00:00","dateModified":"2023-10-22T11:50:36+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/?p=28663"},"wordCount":1457,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/#organization"},"articleSection":["Personal Finance"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/?p=28663#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/?p=28663","url":"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/?p=28663","name":"7 Simple Ways To Protect Yourself From Cyberattacks, According To An International Expert | Micro Loan Nexus","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/#website"},"datePublished":"2023-10-22T11:50:35+00:00","dateModified":"2023-10-22T11:50:36+00:00","description":"The risks to our personal finances\u2014and our very identity\u2014posed by cybersecurity threats were scary enough before the machines started to think for","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/?p=28663#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/?p=28663"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/?p=28663#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"7 Simple Ways To Protect Yourself From Cyberattacks, According To An International Expert"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/","name":"Solutions For Real","description":"Latest Finance News and Updates","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/#organization","name":"Solutions For Real","url":"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/sf-logo-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/sf-logo-1.png","width":690,"height":64,"caption":"Solutions For Real"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/#\/schema\/person\/e2d3b62d35ac325be68540d68dc6660a","name":"News Room","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/avatar_user_1_1691264579-96x96.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/avatar_user_1_1691264579-96x96.png","caption":"News Room"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/microloannexus.com"],"url":"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28663","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=28663"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28663\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28665,"href":"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28663\/revisions\/28665"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/28664"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=28663"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=28663"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microloannexus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=28663"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}