This might seem like strange advice, but hear us out: If someone finds key details about you online, that information could help answer the security questions for accessing an important account. Considering lying on purpose to mislead would-be attackers. Alternatively, select opinion-based questions like “What is your favorite color?”

Do you ever connect to public Wi-Fi networks? A journey through any mall, office park or downtown corridor is sure to populate your phone’s Wi-Fi list with numerous wireless options, many of them not even requiring passwords for entry. If it seems like these networks are everywhere, it’s because they are: Cisco has estimated the […]

A dictionary attack entails repeated guesses of a password, drawn from common possibilities such as dictionary entries. A complex password can blunt these attacks by forcing them to cycle through possibilities for years. Additional protection is available by setting your device to erase itself after a certain number of wrong guesses. Make sure you’ve made […]

If you have an iPhone, you probably have a passcode to prevent strangers from accessing it without your permission. Most of these codes are only 4 to 6 digits long. That length might seem good enough, but it’s guessable by specialized GrayKey devices. To stay on the safe side, use a 9- to 12-digit password […]

Strong passwords are among the best defenses against account hacking. Regularly changing them provides additional protection. If you receive a notification about a data breach affecting one of your accounts, that’s a good occasion to update all your passwords and also implement two-factor authentication if possible.

Everything from your Wi-Fi router to a new baby monitor might ship with a default username and password, such as “admin” for both credentials. You should change them right away to prevent exposure to botnets designed to take over devices with easily guessed logins.