Hack-proof your life: 5 key steps to boost your safety online

A man types on a computer keyboard in Warsaw in this February 28, 2013 illustration file picture. (REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/Files)

At this moment, someone wants your information. Hackers covet your email account, your home address, and your social security number. They want to commandeer your webcam and break into your bank account. They are just waiting for you to slip up and give them a chance.

Malevolent coders are finding backdoors and vulnerabilities, but there are simple ways to protect yourself.

Follow these five steps to boost your safety online instantly.

1. Passwords

I’ve heard it a million times: “I know that I shouldn’t use the same password at every site, but I do.” or “Every time I set a new password, I forget it.”

Well, get over it. Relying on a weak password is asking to be hacked. Your passwords are either your first line of defense against hackers, or they’re an open window that lets them slip through. In cyber-security, there is no middle ground.

How dangerous is it? A lowercase, six-character password takes a hacker around 10 minutes to hack. Add four more characters, and you extend the time of that heist by 45,000 years.

Ready to give your passwords the strength of Fort Knox? Here’s a quick to-do:

Create a unique and complex password that isn’t hard to remember. One trick is a “passphrase,” which is both a statement and a complex series of characters, cases, and numbers. Make a phrase that’s specific to you like, “MySonWasBornOnAug12!”

Change your password regularly, but not too often. I recommend that you change your password at least once every 12-month period. If one of the services you use is involved in a data breach, you’ll want to update your password for that account.

I wrote an entire tip about tools and tricks to remember hard-to-guess passwords. Click here for the best solutions to remember difficult passwords.

2. Set up two-factor identification

You’ve probably seen this before, even if you didn’t know what it was called. Two-factor identification is a fancy name for adding another step to the login process. A login page may ask for your first car or your favorite food. The website might even send a text message with a special code, to make sure you are who you claim to be.

Two-factor identification adds an important layer of protection to your account. For hackers, the coup de grace is setting up instant alerts when your account is accessed from an unfamiliar device or location. Usually, this is you because you’re logging into your email account from an internet café in London, or you’re checking your bank balance on a trusted friend’s phone.

Other times, it’s a hacker who is trying to figure out your credentials. You will receive a notification by email or text saying that there was a login from an unrecognized machine or someone asked to reset your password. The login will not be authorized or the password reset without having the special code included in the email or text.

If you do nothing else on this list, click here for the steps to turn on two-factor authentication on Google, Facebook and other sites you use.

3. Delete accounts you’ve abandoned

You’ve probably encountered this before. Some spammy message shows up in your inbox, allegedly send from your beloved Aunt Joan. Why does Aunt Joan want you to click on this strange-looking link? Why is she suddenly interested in giving you a limited-time discount on a Rolex watch? These messages are sure signs of a hacked account.

The rule of thumb is this: Old accounts contain more personal data than you realize, no matter how short-lived and no matter how long it's been abandoned.

Have too many online accounts to remember them all? Click here for a site that provides you with the steps you need to close down the accounts you’re no longer using.

Sometimes, you may want to delete accounts simply because you've lost trust in the company that's storing your private information. After Yahoo's cover up of multiple data breaches, I recommend that you close your Yahoo account for Yahoo Mail and other related services such as Flickr, Tumblr, Yahoo Sports, Yahoo Messenger, Yahoo Shopping, Yahoo Music, etc. Click here for a step-by-step guide for the steps you need to take right now if you're a Yahoo customer.

4. Check if your info has been stolen

Now you’re on a mission to boost your security. But what about data that’s already been stolen? How do you find out whether an account has already been broken into?

At least one trusted site is dedicated to precisely that: HaveIBeenPwned sifts through your accounts in search of security breaches. Just run your email address and username through the search field, and it will tell you if your login information has been linked to any past breaches.

5. Encrypt all of your messages

“Encryption” used to be a word reserved for international super-spies but not anymore. What you’re looking for is “end-to-end encryption.” This method scrambles your messages so that they can’t be read if someone other than the intended recipient gets it.

Signal Private Messenger One encrypts all messages end-to-end by default. The service also doesn't keep any user information, such as address books or messages, on its servers. It lets you use your existing phone number and contacts list. For a full list of Signal features and download instructions, click here.

Remember, your chain of online security is only as strong as its weakest hyperlink.

Want to know other ways can you stay safe in the era of cyber-crime? You can listen to the Kim Komando Show on your phone, tablet or computer. From buying advice to digital life issues, click here for my free podcasts.

Learn about all the latest technology on the Kim Komando Show, the nation's largest weekend radio talk show. Kim takes calls and dispenses advice on today's digital lifestyle, from smartphones and tablets to online privacy and data hacks. For her daily tips, free newsletters and more, visit her website at Komando.com