At the Just One Lap year-end event I had the opportunity to finally meet the wonderful humans behind the platform, as well as current and past contributors. One of the conversations I had inspired this final post to round off 2022.

Every other day, someone we know is hacked, scammed, or subjected to a data breach. While the latter isn’t completely in our control, there are things we can do to minimise the risks. Here are some tips to help you stay safe this festive season, and beyond.

Never use the same password

This sounds like a cliché, but it cannot be stressed enough. Using the same password on every platform is dangerous because it only takes one data breach on the dark web to compromise all your accounts. If a data breach has occured and you’re not sure which accounts have been affected, you can check on haveibeenpwned.com.

Use a password generator/manager

If you happen to use the same password everywhere, do yourself a favour and change all of them using a password generator/manager service. Browsers like Safari and Chrome do a good job of generating lengthy secure passwords for your accounts, so use them. At a browser level, you can log in from any device to access your accounts.

Two-factor or multi-factor authentication

Accessing accounts with a username and password simply does not cut it anymore. There are many apps you can use for two-factor authentication, such as Authy, LastPass, Microsoft Authenticator, Google Authenticator or Cisco’s Duo. Multi-factor authentication (MFA) options include biometrics, hardware keys, and software tokens. Avoid authentication via SMS because a SIM card can be easily cloned, and make sure that your MFA allows multi-device access for when your primary device is inaccessible.

Beware of phishing scams

This feels like another cliché, but don’t click on links sent to you to verify personal information or to claim money “owed” to you. This is the same as clicking a link sent by someone you don’t know, or from friends who may have been hacked on social media. The only difference is that you are now taking the bait with different information. If you want to verify anything, type the URL directly into your browser, using the secure “https” prefix. Alternatively, call the company in question to confirm if it’s legit (it usually isn’t).

Minimise banking scams

This one is tricky because there have been cases where the victim is held at gunpoint for their smartphone and the PIN code for their banking app. One suggestion is to have two bank accounts: A cheaper transactional one, and a separate savings and investment account. If you have a smartphone or wearable device that supports contactless payments, it is still safer to use that rather than carrying a physical bank card.

Apart from these tips, always apply common sense. For example, there is a new WhatsApp scam doing the rounds asking you to EFT money to a friend who “needs it urgently” – rather just call your friend to verify. And if you’re on public WiFi, use a VPN to encrypt your data.

Lastly, always check for security updates, they are crucial for fixing security loopholes on your devices.

Stay safe, and happy holidays!

Technology is an ever increasing part of our lives and let’s be honest, many of us like gadgets. There is also an abundance of new online services and apps taking over the traditional services we use. Nafisa Akabor has been covering everything tech for well over a decade and she’ll be writing on how we can do tech within a budget and reviewing some of the new online services. Cache This is published on the last Tuesday of every month.