How to protect yourself from hackers like LulzSec

Our networks are too pervasive, too many people are connected to them, and the holes in security are too easily exploited. Hiawatha Bray of the Boston Globe gives a few ways that people can protect themselves:

1. Be careful what you put online. Facebook has detailed privacy settings, but make sure that they are turned on, because the default is to make a lot of users’ posts public.

2. Do not use the same password twice. If you have trouble keeping track of multiple passwords, use a service like RoboForm or LastPass. Bray says that even though these services have occasionally been hacked, saving multiple passwords on such a service is less risky than using the same password for all your accounts.

3. Keep close tabs on your bank accounts and credit score. Bray recommends checking to make sure your accounts haven’t been compromised at least once a week.  He also says that there are three websites that offer free credit reports once a year, and by using all three you can get a free report every four months. They are: Equifax, TransUnion, Experian.

4. Put your credit on ice: For $5 in Massachusetts you can have the country’s three major credit bureaus put a freeze on your credit, which prevents anyone else from requesting information on your credit score, before trying to get a loan under your name.

———————————————————————————

“Here and Now” is an essential midday news magazine for those who want the latest news and expanded conversation on today’s hot-button topics: public affairs, foreign policy, science and technology, the arts and more. More “Here and Now”.