Tag Archive for: Finances

Ways To Keep Your Finances Secure On The Internet In Retirement

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Criminals are getting smarter by the minute, and it can be difficult to stay ahead of them when it comes to keeping your money secure. As the online world continues to evolve, criminals find new ways to obtain your personal information and access your identity and compromise your financial security. It’s important to stay up to date with new technology to keep yourself protected. Here are a few tips you can use to secure your finances in cyberspace as you head into retirement.

Secure Your Passwords

Are you using the same password for everything you log into? That’s not a good idea, because if that password is compromised and sold, a person with bad intentions then can access multiple accounts at once. Create passwords that are unique to each log in or website, and if you have the option to select two factor authentication, use it. When you use two factor authentication, you’ll be prompted to enter a code sent to you via another source (your phone, text, or an app) which provides another layer of security. Think you might have trouble remembering all of those unique passwords?

Use A Password Manager

Password managers are designed so that you only need to remember one password (for the password manager), which then provides you access to the password vault, where all of the other unique passwords for each website and log in are stored. A password manager can even design unique, difficult to hack passwords for you so that you don’t have to come up with it on your own.

Credit Monitoring

There are several credit monitoring services available for purchase, and it’s worth comparing them to see which is the right fit for you. Credit monitoring systems monitor your credit and notify you whenever an inquiry is made into your credit, so that you are aware if something unusual is happening and you can then investigate and put a stop to it before it starts. They’re usually a nominal fee.

Visit Secure Sites

When you’re visiting websites, make sure you’re visiting securely – check that you’ve typed the address correctly, as phishing schemes may run…

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Protecting your finances from cybercriminals

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Mark Weber/Tribune Content Agency

Identity theft and computer hacks are happening far too often, so protecting yourself and your finances is essential.

In 2013, we were shocked when Target Corp. announced that the credit card information for 41 million customers was compromised after a hacker gained access through credentials stolen from a third-party vendor.

In 2017, Equifax, a credit reporting agency, reported a hack that exposed the personal information of up to 143 million Americans, 15 million British citizens and 19,000 Canadians.

In 2020, a massive cyberattack occurred when SolarWinds, a technology firm based in Austin, Texas, provided a software update that included malware attached by hackers.

Ironically, SolarWinds sells their Orion software to thousands of companies, and it is intended to monitor their computer networks. SolarWinds estimated that 18,000 customers, including roughly 40 government agencies, received the update and were exposed to the hack.

The government agencies included the Pentagon, the Treasury Department, the Department of Energy, the U.S. Postal Service and the Department of Homeland Security. Once the data is stolen, we do not know who has access to it or how they may use it.

Recently, hackers have shifted their strategies and have been using a form of malware that encrypts files on a computer system. Once the hackers have infiltrated a computer system, they demand a ransom in exchange for unencrypting the files. This strategy has been used in recent years to attack the computer systems of cities and municipalities, including Atlanta; Baltimore; Denver; Knoxville, Tennessee; New Orleans; and Tulsa, Oklahoma.

In some cases, the ransom was paid, although there is a concerted effort among the U.S. Conference of Mayors to stop paying ransoms.

Most recently, in January 2022, the computer systems of Bernalillo County and Albuquerque Public Schools were hacked.

Being hacked is not always an indication that the company or city was lax in their computer security policies.

Hackers have numerous ways to gain access. I assume that most personal information — including Social Security numbers, birthdates, addresses, tax records, credit card numbers,…

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Security Tips for Your Personal Finances: Computer Protection – Associated Content

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Do you ever wonder if someone is looking over your shoulder when you’re typing away on your computer? Maybe not literally, but that someone, somewhere, either overseas or right next door, is watching what …
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