Oh My Jeez! LinkedIn has almost a billion users and it's one of the top social media accounts in the world, ranking up there with TikTok. If you're not on LinkedIn, you're trippin'. Appearately cyber crooks think it's the place to be as they are now targeting accounts like Facebook and Instagram accounts. Attacks come in the form of hacking accounts so you no longer have access to them, claiming your accounts so they can demand a ransom so you can regain access to your account. as well as just gaining access to your accounts and deleting them altogether. Criminals attack accounts to use them for phishing schemes designed to trick your followers into falling for a variety of scams. How can you keep your account safe? Here's what you need to know:
When you start the process of protecting your LinkedIn account from hackers, you need to employ a combination of strong security practices. Even if you're a casual LinkedIn user, you need to secure your accounts. Imagine how embarrassing for your brand, if your connections got spam from you advertising inappropriate items or criminals, keep bombarding them with junk mail, all with your name and brand on the messages. Here are the steps you need to use to safeguard your LinkedIn account:
Stop using passwords and start using passphrases. Passwords are old school. Criminals can normally guess them because you're lazy in creating passwords which are normally things that are close to you in your daily life. Things you share on social media such as MeMaw's birthplace, kids' birthdays, and favorite family destination. A passphrase is two or more words that create a strong password such as 'HippoBottleCup215!' or MovingSprayLeopard687$'. These phrases aren't related to you and they are hard to guess. Need help? Vist www.useapassphrase.com to create yours.
Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA). If you have a LinkedIn account, I can guarantee you haven't set this feature up. Don't feel bad, no one does. In the case that a crook gains access to your LinkedIn password, you need to have 2FA setup. Two Two-factor authentication means that your account needs to have two forms of proof to sign in. You will get a notification on your phone or email asking if you're the one currently signing into your account. Even if someone gets your password, they won't be able to access your account without the additional verification step. It's mandatory to set this up on your account to keep it safe.
Find out if your information is floating around on the dark web. Criminals don't even bother hacking into computers and devices anymore because there is so much of your personal information is floating around out on the dark web. Immediately head to www.haveibeenpwned.com and find out if your information is floating around the web. If it is, you need to change your passwords the accounts that have data breaches. Did you know LinkedIn had a data breach in 2017? Have you changed your password since then? If not, you're asking to lose your account.
Not all of your social media accounts need the same passwords. The same with all of your online accounts. They all need to be different. If you have accounts with the same passwords, change them now. While you're at it, start using a password keeper. Whatever browsers you're using have the ability to store all of your passwords and warn you if those passwords or passphrases have shown up on the dark web.
Hopefully, this post has given you the information you need to keep your LinkedIn accounts safe. No security measure is completely foolproof, but taking these steps can greatly reduce the risk of your LinkedIn account being compromised. If you need further assistance, please reach out to me with any questions you might have. I am always happy to help!
Looking for More Useful Tips Tips?
My Tuesday Tech Tips Blog is released every Tuesday. If you like video tips, I LIVE STREAM new episodes of 'Computer and Tech Tips for Non-Tech People' every Wednesday at 1:00 pm CST on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Technology product reviews are posted every Thursday. You can view previous episodes on my YouTube channel.
Sign Up for My Tech Tips Newsletter! Click this link to sign-up and subscribe and you will receive every tip directly in your inbox each week.
Want to ask me a tech question? Send it to burton@burtonkelso.com. I love technology. I've read all of the manuals and I'm serious about making technology fun and easy to use for everyone.
Need computer repair service near you? My company Integral offers the highest quality computer repair service nationwide. If you need on-site or remote tech support for your Windows\Macintosh, computers, laptops, Android/Apple smartphone, tablets, printers, routers, smart home devices, and anything that connects to the Internet, please feel free to contact my team. Our team of friendly tech experts organization can help you with any IT needs you might have. Reach out to us a www.callintegralnow.com or phone at 888.256.0829.
Please share this with your friends and family! If you found this post useful, would you mind helping me out by sharing it? Just click one of the handy social media sharing buttons below.
The above content is provided for information purposes only. All information included therein is subject to change without notice. I am not responsible for any direct or indirect damages, arising from or related to the use of or reliance on the above content.
#techtips #technology #tech #technews #techreview #techgadgets #techtricks #techtalks #techyoutuber #instatech #technologynews #techsupport #covid #smartphone #tablet #computertips #computernews #computerreview #computersupport #apple #microsoft #samsung #hp #dell