44 KIPLINGER’S PERSONAL FINANCE^ 05/2019MONEY
Ask any security expert how consumers most often shoot themselves
in the foot, and the response will almost certainly be passwords. The
most common password in the world is “123456,” followed by “pass-
word.” We are bad at passwords.
The best solution is a password manager. LastPass offers a free
version of its software that will generate, store and save randomized
passwords across all your devices, all locked behind a single masterpassword. Many browsers function like password managers, offering
to save your log-in information. Some, including Google Chrome, will
even generate a random password for you. But the password require-
ments for your Google account aren’t very strict, with no uppercase
letter, number or symbols needed. If your master password is easy
to crack, all the accounts saved inside could be at risk.
Another crucial practice for securing your devices is two-factorHOW TO SECURE YOUR DEVICES
with the padlock symbol and “https”—widely
seen as signs of authenticity—in the URL, says
Stacy Shelley, vice president of marketing at
PhishLabs, a cybersecurity firm.
Rather than opening attachments you don’t
recognize, use the “preview” function if your
e-mail has one to view them safely. Better yet,
contact the sender in a separate e-mail or text
to ask if he or she e-mailed you an attachment.
Be extra careful when viewing e-mail on a
mobile device, where you can’t hover over a link
or easily see a full URL after clicking on a link.
Equip your devices with anti-malware soft-
ware and regularly install security patches and
updates. (For more tips, see http://www.lockdownyour
login.org.) Set up two-factor authentication
where possible, and back up files once a month
to the cloud, an external hard drive or memory
stick in case your device needs to be wiped
clean or a criminal holds your data for ransom.
What to do if you’re a victim: Change the pass-
words to your financial accounts and other
important websites as soon as possible, pre-
ferably from another computer in case a key-
logger is recording these new passwords on
your compromised device. Run a malware
detection tool, such as Malwarebytes, to see if
your computer was infected. If your device has
been locked with ransomware, try searching
the internet for unique words in your ransom-
ware note to see if you can find a free decoder.
Or find a pro to help. Best Buy’s Geek Squad
charges $100 for remote virus and spyware
removal, or $150 for in-store or at-home help.
Staples charges $100 for remote service, $160
for an in-store fix, and $300 for a technician
to visit your home. McAfee Virus Removal
Service ($90) and Norton Spyware & Virus Re-
moval ($100) will help you remotely as well. ■