Every year, articles appear in the papers saying “Password” and “Qwerty123” are the most common passwords used. They normally appear alongside polls saying most of us are in fear of identity theft or that increasing numbers of us are falling foul of the crime.
Yet, having read these articles, do we all jump into life and change our passwords, ensuring they are unique and secure?
However, at TopCashback we are security and data privacy enthusiasts. Ensuring your privacy and data security is something we really care about. So, we wanted to share a few pointers about how you can help us keep your private information just that – private.
Do you pass the password test?
Uniqueness is the key to creating a good password. Uniqueness in the sense that it’s uncommon, but also that you have a different password for each and every site you sign up to.
When thinking of a password, the more characters you use, the stronger it is.
Using a phrase or sentence is good practice and the Government’s Cyber Aware campaign advises using three memorable, associated words works best. For example: SpaghettiChimneyWallflower.
Avoid using the name of your partner, child, other family member or pet, your place of birth or favourite sports team.
Whatever you choose, you should never share passwords with anyone. Instead of writing them down, use a password manager like Dashlane or LastPass.
Can others answer your security question?
If you haven’t already, you should make sure you have set a security question for your TopCashback account. We promise it’s not just us being nosey — we use it as an extra layer of security for your account.
It’s worth making sure you have the right privacy settings on your social media accounts to ensure no-one can figure out your answer. For instance, if you don’t have your Facebook set to private, someone could find out your hometown, your cat’s name or even your mum’s maiden name.
Don’t get hooked by a phishing scam
Phishing involves the use of deceptive emails and websites to trick people into clicking malicious links, downloading attachments or sending sensitive information.
They often impersonate well-known brands and ask you to verify personal information like passwords or offer you refunds to get your bank account details. Sometimes these emails even use the ploy of warning you of suspicious activity on your account.
One of the best ways to double check these emails is to take a look at the email address it came from, not just what it appears to be. Often, it says the brand’s name but hover the mouse over the address and you’ll see who really sent it. Fake ones may contain random numbers, upper and lower case letters or misspelled words.
If you think you’ve been sent a phishing email from someone pretending to be us, get in touch with us and we’ll help sort it out. You can get in touch here https://www.topcashback.co.uk/contact. It’s also a good idea to immediately change your password.
We could talk about this all day, so here’s a few more pointers:
Take care when using public Wi-Fi in public places as it is often unsecure, which means any information you send while connected to it may be accessed by fraudsters. Cyber criminals can also set up fake Wi-Fi hotspots. Your data connection is more secure, and it’s best to wait until you’re home on your own secure Wi-Fi to do anything important.
Ensure you use an effective virus protection. You should choose one which includes an anti-malware application and set it to update automatically and perform weekly scans. Updates often contain changes which will help protect you and your devices from scammers and online criminals.
If you’re using a wireless router, check the network is secure so people living nearby can’t access it. You should set it up so only people with the wireless key can use it.
Regularly clear the cookies on your internet browser as some store information, including the accounts you log into and the links you click while using a website. While most cookies are completely harmless, they can also be used by spyware to gain access to your sensitive information.
Use the latest version of your internet browser to avoid any security issues. You should also keep software up to date as it will provide security patches for newly discovered threats.
Before using a shared or public computer, you should turn off password saving and auto-complete settings as these will give access to your accounts. You should always log out of accounts and delete browsing history when on a public or shared computer.
