How To Better Secure 'The Data Of Your Life' Against Cyberattacks
GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. -- President Joe Biden is urging Americans to protect themselves from potential Russian cyberattacks.
"The magnitude of Russia's cyber capacity is fairly consequential and it's coming," he said Monday.
For Minnesotans, there are simple steps that can be taken to secure their devices and networks.
Eric Vollbrecht, a cybersecurity engineer with Success Computer Consulting in Golden Valley, says longer pass-phrases are more effective than simple passwords. He also advises against using the same one across many accounts.
Being hacked can mean access to bank accounts and social networks.
"It is an invasion of your privacy," Vollbrecht said. "You lose the sense of control over the data of your life."
Vollbrecht says hackers typically go after low-hanging fruit, like simple passwords, as an entry point into your life.
"The more devices that you have connected to the internet, the more chance for bad guys to exploit that device and connect to it," he said.
Be cautious with urgent requests asking you to do something unusual, like transfer money or give a credit card number.
Working from home can also create vulnerability.
"[Employees are] working from a network that's not as secure, and we talk about that often with clients that are coming in about protecting their devices," Vollbrecht said. "A lot of people don't realize how valuable their information is to hackers."
He says if you're not planning any major purchases, you might want to consider freezing your credit. It's free and prevents anyone from opening an account in your name.