{"id":27431,"date":"2019-03-26T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-03-26T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https://www.webroot.com/blog/?p=27431"},"modified":"2019-04-12T10:17:36","modified_gmt":"2019-04-12T16:17:36","slug":"lock-down-your-digital-identity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https://www.webroot.com/blog/2019\/03\/26\/lock-down-your-digital-identity\/","title":{"rendered":"Lock Down Your Digital Identity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The last decade has been one of digital\nrevolution, leading to the rapid adoption of new technology standards, often\nwithout the consideration of privacy ramifications. This has left many of us\nwith a less-than-secure trail of digital breadcrumbs\u2014something cybercriminals\nare more than aware of. Identity theft is by no means a new problem, but the\ntechnology revolution has created what some are calling a \u201cglobal epidemic<\/a>.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Securing your digital identity is more\nimportant now than ever, and Webroot can help you start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is\na Digital Identity?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first step in locking down your digital identity is understanding what it is. A digital identity<\/a> is the combination of any and all identifying information that can connect a digital persona to an actual person. Digital identities are largely comprised of information freely shared by the user, with social media accounts generally providing the largest amount of data. Other online services like Etsy and eBay, as well as your email and online banking accounts, also contribute to your digital identity. Realistically, any information that can be linked back to you, no matter how seemingly inconsequential, is part of your digital identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Digital\nIdentity Theft<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Digital identity theft occurs in several ways.\nA common tactic is social media fraud, where a hacker will impersonate a user\nby compromising an existing social media account, often messaging friends and\nfamily of the user requesting money or additional account information. If unable\nto gain full control of a genuine social media account, identity thieves will\noften set up a dummy social media account and impersonate the user using it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A less widely-known form of digital identity\nfraud is internet-of-things (IoT) identity theft, where an attacker gains\naccess to an IoT device with weak security protocols and exploits it to gain\naccess to a higher priority device connected to the same network. Another\ngrowing threat is \u201cSIM swapping\u201d<\/a>\u2014 an attack that\ninvolves tricking a mobile provider into swapping a legitimate phone number\nover to an illegitimate SIM card, granting the attacker access to SMS-enabled\ntwo-factor authentication (2FA) efforts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even those who don\u2019t consider themselves\ntargets should be aware of these tactics and take steps to lock down their\ndigital identities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Locking\nit Down<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reviewing your social media accounts\u2019 privacy settings<\/a> is one of the\neasiest things you can do to cut opportunistic identity thieves off from the\nstart. Set your share settings to friends only, and scrub any identifying\ninformation that could be used for security clearance \u2014 things like your high\nschool, hometown, or pets\u2019 names. Only add people you personally know and if\nsomeone sends you a suspicious link, don\u2019t click it! Phishing, through email or\nsocial media messages, remains one of the most prevalent causes of digital\nidentity theft in the world. But your digital identity can be compromised in\nthe physical world as well \u2014 old computers that haven\u2019t been properly\nwiped provide an easy opportunity hackers won\u2019t pass up. Always take your\noutdated devices to a local computer hardware store to have them wiped before\nrecycling or donating them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nRight Tools for the Job<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is just the start of a proper digital identity lock-down. Given the sensitive nature of these hacks, we asked Webroot Security Analyst Tyler Moffitt his thoughts on how consumers can protect their digital identities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTwo-factor authentication in combination with a trusted virtual private network, or VPN, is the crown jewel of privacy lock-down,\u201d Tyler said. \u201cEspecially if you use an authenticator app for codes instead of SMS authentication. A VPN is definitely a must… but you can still fall for phishing attempts using a VPN. Using two-factor authentication on all your accounts while using VPN is about as secure as you can get.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2FA\nprovides an additional level of security to your accounts, proactively verifying\nthat you are actually the one attempting to access the account. 2FA often uses\npredetermined, secure codes and geolocation data to determine a user\u2019s\nidentity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because 2FA acts as a trusted gatekeeper, do your research before you commit to a solution. You\u2019ll find some offerings that bundle 2FA with a secure password manager, making the commitment to cybersecurity a little bit easier. When making your choice, remember that using SMS-enabled 2FA could leave you vulnerable to SIM swapping, so though it is more secure than not using 2FA at all, it is among the least secure of 2FA strategies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

VPNs\nwrap your data in a cocoon of encryption, keeping it out of sight of prying\neyes. This is particularly important when using public WiFi networks<\/a>, since that\u2019s\nwhen your data is at its most vulnerable. Many VPNs are available online, including\nsome free options, but this is yet another instance of getting what you pay\nfor. Many free VPNs are not truly private, with some selling your data to the\nhighest bidder. Keeping your family secure behind a VPN means finding a solution<\/a> that provides\nyou with the type of comfort that only comes with trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The two things that only you can do to keep\nyour identity secure? Constant vigilance<\/a> and continuous\neducation. Visit the <\/a>Home+Mobile page<\/a> on the Webroot\nblog for a host of resources to help keep you and your family safe online\u2014at\nhome and on the go.  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The last decade has been one of digital revolution, leading to the rapid adoption of new technology standards, often without the consideration of privacy ramifications. This has left many of us with a less-than-secure trail of digital breadcrumbs\u2014something cybercriminals are more than aware of. Identity theft is by no means a new problem, but the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":137,"featured_media":27433,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2985],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[5333,4953,16963,24185,24181,6303,6301,19117,3557,4723,24187,21831,3527,24189,3699,4701,24183,20857,5429,5319],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https://www.webroot.com/blog/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27431"}],"collection":[{"href":"https://www.webroot.com/blog/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https://www.webroot.com/blog/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https://www.webroot.com/blog/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/137"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https://www.webroot.com/blog/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27431"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https://www.webroot.com/blog/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27431\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27443,"href":"https://www.webroot.com/blog/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27431\/revisions\/27443"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https://www.webroot.com/blog/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27433"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https://www.webroot.com/blog/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27431"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https://www.webroot.com/blog/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27431"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https://www.webroot.com/blog/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27431"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https://www.webroot.com/blog/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=27431"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}