Privacy Checkup

Short, memorable passwords are easily guessed by people and computers. Passwords that you have used, and data that identifies you as the owner of those passwords, are leaked or stolen from companies on a regular basis. Those in possession of this data attempt to use it to access other accounts they have associated you with.

Browser password managers are not as secure as dedicated password management apps, but better than no password manager at all.

Using a password manager is a 4-in-1 combo winner - you will have strong passwords, won't be reusing them, avoids you needing to use weaker browser password managers, and everything is encrypted. Dedicated password management apps remove the need for you to remember unique and strong passwords.

If your passwords are ever compromised, 2FA requires someone to get an additional code to gain access to your accounts, making it significantly harder for them.

SMS can be compromised through SIM-swapping or SIM-jacking and relies on you having a cellular signal. If possible, use app-based codes or a hardware token. Some password managers offer this functionality.

Open source browsers from companies that don't profit from information about you are more likely to be safer and do a better job at protecting your privacy. Firefox has good tracking protection set by default and has controls to easily increase your level of protection.

Software updates often contain important fixes that make browsing the web more secure.

Signing into your browser increases the data about you by a third party has a copy of and, by extension, available to others if they are able to gain access.

By making use of features like container tabs, browser profiles, and multiple browsers for different activities, you decrease the chances of third parties learning more about you.

By blocking access to these, you're able to prevent a lot of data collection about you and make yourself less identifiable by third parties.

Your email account is the gateway to the vast majority of your online accounts. Anyone with access to it only has to use the "forgot password" feature of any website to gain access to them.

By using different email addresses (alias emails) for each site you use, or at least a separate email address for more sensitive accounts, you make it harder for bad actors to associate you with multiple accounts.

Email is extremely insecure and often contains information bad actors stand to benefit from. Once you send email, you're no longer the only person that has a copy, making the privacy and security of the content subject to that of the recipients' actions.

Loading images in emails acts as a way to track your activity and lets the sender know you have opened the email.

The information found on your social network profiles is a bad actor's dream come true and helps them make phishing scams more believable. Avoid sharing personal details as much as possible.