How to Protect Yourself from Evil Hackers - Men's Health

Men's Health, By Sarah Jacabsson Purewal

Oh, great: A Russian gang stole over a billion unique logins and passwords — and they might have gotten yours. But don't panic just yet.

Here are five ways to prevent yourself from another crazy tech hack:

1. Lock down the home front.

“It seems that consumers are directly responsible for this breach due to the discussions of a huge botnet being involved,” says Robert Siciliano, McAfee security expert. A botnet only works because your computer has a virus and your Internet connection is insecure. So the first step you should take, if you haven’t done so already, is to download and install an antivirus program. We consulted security experts from some of the top-ranked antivirus companies: Kaspersky, McAfee, and Trend Micro. All are great options. 

More importantly, you should make sure your antivirus program, Web browser, and operating system are all fresh. “Keeping your system up to date protects against keyloggers that track your keystrokes,” Siciliano says. “With a keylogger, a hacker can use your keystroke patterns to figure out your passwords.”

2. Use a password manager.

Is it better to have a password that’s secure, or a password you can remember? The answer: both. “For every login, use a unique, complex password—one that mixes letters, numbers, and special characters that’s at least eight, but ideally 15 characters long," says Ryan Naraine, head of Kaspersky’s global research and analysis team. "It shouldn't include any personal information, such as your pet’s name. And do not for any reason use the same password for multiple accounts.”

The rub: Having a different, unique, 15-character, letter-number password for every single one of your accounts is a tall order. And that’s why you should use a password manager, such as LastPass or Dashlane, to store your passwords securely, Naraine says. With a manager, you only have to remember one master password, and the program will store the rest for you. Read more.