Introduction:
In today’s interconnected digital landscape, a shift is slowly and silently occurring with our personal vendors. Personal vendors such as doctors, pharmacists, accountants. Your vendors are taking the most sensitive details of your live, and they make it available online. The argument that I often hear from my friends and family is … “My bank/doctor/dentist/credit agency has a portal, but I refused to sign up for an account. Without the account I am more secure from identity theft.” Unfortunately the reality is the opposite. You are More Susceptible now, simply because you HAVE NOT setup accounts there. Personal cybersecurity is paramount as Identity Theft is rampant
Online Portals:
Why is that, you ask.?. Well it is due to the simple fact that most of us have had our information compromised. Yes your information is on the darkweb right now. It can most likely be attributed to that credit agency who was hacked. You may also have received letters in the mail about about a hack at a school, and information was stolen. You know those letters where we were offered free credit monitoring? We all have received them.
With your Information on the darkweb, it means any hacker or threat actor may have your most sensitive data. They can now take your name, social security number or any other sensitive types of information of yours and they can go to that bank, doctor, pharmacy, or hospital portal that you did not sign up for. And NOW they can sign up as you, and have access to ALL of your life which that portal offers. Scary.
As you can see, One often overlooked aspect is the significance of creating logins on every single online portal. You must do this for every single vendor in your life. Especially when dealing with vendors like banks, doctors, hospitals, pharmacies, etc. Failing to do so may expose you to severe personal or financial consequences.
What you can do:
I personally recommend setting up individual logins for each. Think of non-repeatable usernames, and implement them. This will act as a crucial layer of defense against unauthorized access. For example, on one site create your login as “98df0987asdr” and a difficult password. For the next site, create a different login such as “Wercvb0987asd”, and so on. The reason I recommend this is that due to the risk these portals introduce, where personal information might be compromised, having unique logins ensures that potential infiltrators face an additional hurdle. Without a personalized login, malicious actors armed with your data can easily exploit your information and create accounts in your name.
Consider the implications when you are dealing with financial institutions such as banks. If a hacker/threat actor gains access to your personal information from a breach and discovers that you have not established a login, the threat actor could exploit this vulnerability to create an account in your stead. This opens the door to a cascade of disruptions, ranging from unauthorized transactions to potential identity theft. This includes creating logins on sites such as Experian, Equifax, and Transunion, because while you do not consider them a vendor, they have the most sensitive data about you, and there is little to nothing you can do about it.
By diligently creating logins for every online portal, especially those dealing with sensitive information like financial transactions, individuals fortify their defenses against cyber threats. It’s not merely a matter of inconvenience but a critical step in safeguarding personal assets and maintaining control over one’s digital identity.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, the creation of logins on every online portal is not a mundane task but a cybersecurity imperative. It serves as a formidable defense against unauthorized access. Taking this step can be the difference between maintaining control over your digital identity and falling victim to potentially devastating cybercrimes. Stay vigilant, secure your logins, and fortify your digital defenses in an ever-evolving landscape of cyber threats.
Additional Reading:
Here is a small list of Companies that were breached:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_data_breaches
Another Secure Your Life Series Article: Password Managers:
https://jaylongley.com/the-secure-your-life-series-password-managers/
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