• Thursday, March 28, 2024
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BusinessDay

How to ensure hackers don’t access your financial details (2)

Emeka is as meticulous as a medical doctor should be- at least he thinks so. The 27-year-old loves taking written notes of important events and things like his mobile banking application password. One Saturday morning, he wakes up to a bank alert-his bank account had been hacked.

 

It is easy to conclude that the medical doctor made a silly mistake writing down passwords in his note pad, thereby making himself vulnerable to cyber-attacks, but hackers today exploit lapses one thinks one is aware of, like Emeka and loopholes that beats ones’ imagination.

 

Oftentimes these cyber attacks can be prevented by taking simple measures such as using strong passwords that are changed regularly, updating antivirus software regularly, avoiding click baits, and not opening strange emails.

 

There are also other steps necessary to avoid “stories that touch”.

 

Never Share Your Password with anyone

 

It is a no-brainer, right? But humans are humans and this means we sometimes get to trust people so much that we share our deepest thoughts with them.

Read also: FG targets financially inclusive future with Nigerian Capital Market

While our loved-ones may not necessarily set out to jeopardise us, it is not impossible that their mistakes put us at risk.

 

If you must share your password with anyone, ensure it is necessary and the other person has proven to be responsible in the past.

 

 

Take advantage of two-factor authenticity 

Two-factor or multi-factor authenticity uses a combination of two different factors to confirm identity before allowing access as a way of preventing intruders. The factors may include something a user knows, something the user has and or something they are.

This measure is important because it makes it impossible for hackers who know your password to access your accounts if they do not also have your device, for instance.

A two-factor authenticity can require a user to enter a pin sent to the mobile phone or a secret code even after entering an account’s login details. Whatsapp, for example, has this feature.

 

Never assume it’s your bank (or a trusted party) on the other end

 

Do you ever get a text or an email you believed was from your bank until you saw a wrong spelling?

It is easy to believe that the party at the other end of a conversation is a known and trusted one because of a corporate logo, colour or a simple claim they make.

To ensure you do not fall a victim of hackers, reach out to your bank on ways to authenticate their messages; of course, your real bank would never ask for sensitive information like your debit card pin.

Also always check whether the website you are on is safe. Secure websites always have “https” instead of “http”.

 

 

Ensure your alternative logins and secret answers are solid

A hacker may sometimes not bother with cracking your password if it is too difficult to guess. Instead, they might try to request a reset which would require answering secret questions like “what is your pet?” and “what is your mother’s maiden name?”. Of course, everyone knows your pet is Tom and your mother’s maiden name is Ann, so the hacker has easy access despite your strong password.

In setting up secret questions, provide answers in a witty way only you can tell.

 

Do not recycle passwords

One of the biggest mistakes one could make is using the same password across one’s various accounts on the internet.

If hackers get a hold of one password, the victim risks losing all his or her accounts- a far devastating loss than losing control of one account.