Companies and hackers are threatening our online safety with their interest in data and information. Data contraction, cyber security and phishing scams has become a more common part of our everyday life. These are just some of the reasons to remember to practice caution online. If you want to make sure that nobody gets access to your personal information and files, you can follow the following advice. This will help you protect your account, and everything connected to it.
Create a strong password
The first step in keeping your Microsoft account safe is to create a strong password and to protect it by not using it twice. We all need many passwords to enter different online profiles and platforms, and to make it easier to remember them, we tend to use a variation of the same password or simply use the exact same. This is not a solid solution as it makes it so much easier to enter several accounts of yours, if the password is cracked.
To avoid making this mistake, you should find individual passwords for your accounts and if it seems difficult to remember them, you can use windows password manager tool to archive your passwords. Try this website to generate a random password if you have a hard time coming up with a new password. The more random the password the better the safety.
Use two-step verification
If you have activated the two-step verification on your Microsoft account, you will need to verify your identity wherever you login to your Microsoft account. It is not automatically activated, so you must enable it yourself. This is recommended as it is a simple but effective way to protect your account as it should be 99% effective.
It does not need to take a big effort to protect your account. And on the same note you should make sure that the security information that you have given is the right one. It is usually through another email or a phone number, that you can verify your account, making sure the information is updated is naturally necessary.
Wash out for phishing mails
During the COVID-19 pandemic, cybercriminals have been active, which has made Microsoft secure control of critical domains to avoid the cyberattacks. As people have been working from home, their online activity has increased, and the number of phishing scams has grown. So, you should keep an eye out for phishing mails.
If you have received a mail about security or a mail that requires you to sign into your account to get further, you should be skeptical. This could very well be a phishing mail, trying to allure your password from you. Generally, it is a good idea to install a healthy skepticism about mail enquiries unless you have expected them. Some phishing scams look quite professional, and you should look twice before jumping in.