It seems as if everyday there is a new hack where thousands, sometimes millions, of passwords and user profiles are stolen, along with credit cards and other personal information. Just this past July, it was discovered that a server used by Verizon was compromised exposing accounts of up to 14 million customers.

Below we share some tips for protecting yourself and your online accounts.

Enable Two-Factor Authentication

One of the most important steps you can take towards protecting yourself is enabling two-factor authentication on your main accounts.

First, install Authy or Google Authenticator on your phone (if you chose Authy, you can install install it as a plug-in on your browser).

To enable two-factor authentication with your gmail account, click here.

To enable two-factor authentication for Facebook, follow these steps.

For other accounts (like your bank) you can go to settings or account details and look for the two-factor authentication option.

Add Some Plug-ins to your Browser

Our favorite plug-ins include:

  • uBlock Origin
  • HTTPS Everywhere
  • NoScript
  • Privacy Badger
  • LastPass

Lock Down Facebook

Over the years we accumulate connected apps on our Facebook page, all of which are granted access to information related to out profiles, like our friend list, for example. Every now and then, you should look at what apps are connected to your facebook and remove the ones you are not using anymore. Do that by following this guide.

In addition to removing unwanted apps, make sure to set your facebook to private.

Use a VPN or Tor when on Public Wi-fi

Riseup Black is a VPN developed by riseup.net in collaboration with Bitmask. If you are feeling adventurous, check it out. If not, there are other simple VPNs you can signup for. For a list of currently recommended VPN's click here.

Before choosing a VPN, however, you might want to read this cautiounary article first.

Finally, check out Tor on your mobile or desktop computer. It will slow down your browsing, but useful for obscuring your location & IP address.

Conclusion

This list is just a brief guide of some small steps you can take to improve your security and privacy on the web. We will be providing updates and additional thoughts as time permits, so feedback is welcome!