Do this now: Restrict Facebook's access to your phone number
In an earlier post, we told you that Facebook isn’t protecting your phone number. Because of two-factor authentication (2FA), Facebook requires you to use a mobile phone number. So, you can’t just delete your mobile phone number from Facebook.
You can, however, privatize your phone number with very simple settings. I did it myself, and I will share screen shots with you below. This setting will prevent people from searching for you if they have your phone number.
How to make your phone number private on Facebook
Go to Facebook and in the upper right, select the little triangle and then “Settings.” You should see this.
Select “Privacy” from the left column, and then find the question, “Who can look you up using the phone number you provided?”
Check your phone privacy settings on Facebook mobile
When you change settings in your main Facebook account, it should be good across devices, but I still like to check my mobile devices to make sure the setting crosses devices.
Open the Facebook app and select the “hamburger” menu in the lower right corner.
Scroll down and select “Settings & Privacy,” then select “Settings,” then scroll down and “Privacy Settings.” (Is anyone else getting the feeling that Facebook deliberately makes this difficult?)
Make sure the visibility settings are what you prefer. For the question “Who can look you up using the phone number you provided,” you have three choices: everyone, friends of friends, or friends. There is no “no one” option. If you are concerned about strangers or crazy exes finding you, set it to the most restricted setting, “Friends.”
617 million stolen accounts from 16 websites are now up for sale - are you at risk?
The year 2019 has not been a great one for cybersecurity. We have seen multiple breaches that have resulted in the personal information of millions of people being sold on the dark web. Well, unfortunately, it’s happened again. This time, it’s impacting over half a billion people.
Two-factor authentication is vulnerable to this new type of attack
Two-factor authentication has long been touted as one of the best ways to make sure you are staying secure online. But recently it seems that this tried-and-true way to stay safe has been beaten by hackers. They are using this knowledge to break into people’s accounts and steal their information. Here’s how to make sure you are safe from this hack.
If you have an Apple ID, you may have been hacked
If you have an Apple device, you already know what Apple ID is. In fact, you know it very well because you have to use your Apple ID quite frequently to sign into your devices and to log in to the App Store or iTunes. Recently, there seems to be a hack that has targeted Apple IDs and locking users out. Here is what to do if you have already been hacked, and if not, how to protect yourself.
How to do a free credit freeze
You may not have thought about freezing your credit, and now that you heard of the idea you may be wondering why you should. Well, it is one of the top ways to guard against identity theft, ensuring there will be no change to any of it unless you say so. Here is a step by step description of how to do so.
If your password is on this list, you're in big trouble
You may have the wrong idea of who hackers are. They are sometimes portrayed in movies as nerdy teenagers, hiding in their parents’ basements, trying to guess someone’s passwords. That is not typically how it is done.
Google's most useful security settings
Companies like Google are constantly upgrading the security of their platforms. After all, the last thing most of us need is to discover that some cybercriminal has gained access to our emails. Aside from setting up security gateways like advanced passwords and two-factor authentication, Google provides users with several other security options, some of which you may have never heard of.
Don't fall for this 'White House' phishing email
There’s a brand new phishing email that’s making the rounds. I’ve seen it personally, and it’s using a well-known political figure to trick you into clicking. You’ll recognize this name when it pops up in your inbox, but the message isn’t really from her – it’s from scammers! Take a look at this screenshot, and I’ll point out the major discrepancies.
Massive data breach hits popular national retailer
Another company has just fessed up to a security breach that left customers’ credit card details exposed. This retailer has locations all over the country. Chances are, you or someone you know has shopped there recently. Has your credit card information been stolen?