BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — In the wake of a large scale data breach affecting potentially billions of login credentials, 23ABC spoke with an area IT Specialist about ways the average person can protect their data.
- Grapevine MSP COO Robert Miles said there are plenty of ways that internet users can keep their information safe and secure, but the two most important tips he shared with us are keeping at least two separate passwords and using multi-factor authentication tools.
- Miles says he recommends using at least two passwords, one for less important things like social media sites, and another for important accounts like banking and medical records. Miles says when a data breach occurs, using the same password for both types of accounts can turn a nuisance into an issue.
- Miles also recommends using multi-factor authentication tools, which require the website or application you're logging into, to send you a code or notification to a separate device. Miles says this tool, while not fool proof, will drastically cut down on the ways that hackers can gain access to accounts.
- Lastly in the wake of this recent data breach, Miles also recommended that the average consumer check to see if their data has been accessed.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
It seems like yearly, we see reports of data being hacked and taken by bad actors online, I’m Sam Hoyle, your neighborhood reporter, this most recent one it’s estimated that 16 billion records were taken so we checked in with an IT professional on how to be safe online.
The data breach being called, the largest in history comes from various datasets and can’t be attributed to one unique source, where credentials for google, apple, and various other accounts have been compromised.
“Passwords, for the most part, are insecure by their very nature, because people reuse them everywhere. So I always say the same thing as like, okay, cool. You had your Facebook account got hit, but what is your password to your bank? What is your password to your mortgage or your bills, or, you know, things that they could really use to hurt you?” said Miles. “That's really where that breach becomes from a nuisance to I'm losing money or I've been robbed.”
Robert Miles, COO of Grapevine MSP, has been working in the IT Sector for more than 25 years and from his perspective it’s usually not a question of if, but rather when someone is going to be hacked and it’s best practice to use different passwords across various accounts.
So we asked around to see how safe people try to be online, Justin Sammons says he tries to create a new password for each account.
“I try to create a new one each time so they’re not too easy to find.”
When it comes to keeping yourself safe online, Miles says there’s many different ways that people can do it but when asked for a short list, he recommends these two tips.
“Number one is don't use the same password for frivolous stuff that you do for things that are considered sensitive,” said Miles. “You started a brand new video game and you want to register somewhere or even Home Depot. It's not that important, but your bank and your social security and those type of things, those are big deals that should those two passwords should never mix.”
“Number two is MFA. It's multi-factor authentication. All bank sites have it for the most part. Most sites these days, including Facebook and Google and the rest, have it as well. It allows you to send either a code or using a program with a code that is required to log into that service.”
As far as this most recent data breach, Miles also recommends checking to see if you’re data has been leaked, using the tool haveibeenpwned.com.
Stay in Touch with Us Anytime, Anywhere:
