The beginning of the year is a perfect time to reflect on personal growth and set resolutions to improve our lives. Consider improving your digital life by limiting what you share online and securing your online presence. In an era of increasing cyberthreats and data breaches, taking control of your online footprint isn’t just wise — it’s essential.
Here are two ways you can make 2025 your safest year online.
1. Limit the personal information you share.
Did you know that cybercriminals can use even the smallest details about you to launch a scam? By piecing together public information, they can impersonate trusted individuals or organizations to deceive you. Protect yourself by taking control of what’s out there.
-
Social media: Your profiles might give away more sensitive information than you realize. Remove unnecessary personal details like your birthday, address or phone number. These seemingly harmless bits of information can help criminals crack security questions or craft convincing phishing attacks.
-
Posts and photos: Think before you post. Pictures of your home, workplace or vacation can provide clues about your location or schedule, making you a target for both cyber and physical threats.
2. Audit your digital footprint.
How many online accounts do you have? From shopping sites and social media, to streaming services and email providers, the number may be higher than you think. Each of these accounts could be a doorway for cybercriminals, if left unattended. Take charge of your digital presence by conducting a thorough audit.
-
Identify unused accounts: Go through your accounts and ask yourself, “Do I still use this?” If not, deactivate or delete it. Dormant accounts are unnecessary risks, offering hackers potential entry points.
-
Secure the accounts you keep: For the accounts you use, take a moment to review and update your privacy settings. Many platforms change their policies frequently, and default settings might expose more of your information than you’re comfortable with. Adjust these settings, so your data is only visible to trusted individuals.
-
Don’t reuse passwords across different accounts: Reusing the same password across different accounts is risky. If one account is compromised in a data breach, cybercriminals can use the stolen password to access your other accounts.
-
Use strong/complex passwords: Strong passwords lessen the likelihood that cybercriminals can guess your password and access your accounts. It’s best to create a passphrase consisting of numbers, letters and special characters.
-
Enable MFA wherever possible: Enabling multifactor authentication (MFA) adds an extra layer of protection against cyberthreats.
