The #BE30DayChallenge to securing your digital life is, hopefully, motivation to take digital security seriously.
In the past three weeks, you were given tips on locking down your mobile devices, email, and social media accounts; and strengthening the security of your home network.
In the last week of this #BE30DayChallenge, explore this additional technology available to secure your data and digital identity that you may not have otherwise considered.
Credit and Debit Card Protectors
The rise in credit card fraud is due to skimmers that thieves place in ATM machines and identity theft. Additionally, hackers can use the wireless protocol NFC (near field communication) and RFID (radio-frequency identification) to steal credit card information over the air–an act known as “crowd hacking.â€
You can purchase credit and debit card protection cases to help keep hackers away from your cards. SignalVault is an insert that goes into a wallet to protect cards from crowd hacking.
Identity Stronghold makes RFID sleeves into which a credit or debit card slips. The company’s RFID card sleeves meet government-level security compliance.
At a minimum, you should replace all cards with the new chip-and-PIN cards issued by banks and credit companies. These cards provide better security than legacy ones.
Digital Identity Protection Services
Identity protection services won’t prevent identity theft, but they can alert you when someone may be using your identity. These services can alert you if your name or any data associated with your identity (such as your driver’s license or Social Security number) show up in credit and loan requests; of any credit changes; court proceedings in your name; and more. IDShield is considered one of the better services at a reasonable cost.
Fingerprint Readers
The security industry predicts usernames and passwords will go extinct in a few years. They will be replaced by biometric security. These are devices that use part of the body to log into a device or system. Facial, as well as voice recognition, are biometric security methods, as is eye (retina) scan.
More commonplace biometric security is fingerprint scanning. The capability is already built into Apple’s devices. It’s called Touch ID.
Microsoft’s Windows Hello supports facial recognition and fingerprint scanner to log into Windows 10 devices.
You can also purchase USB fingerprint scanners usually under $100 such as SecuGen’s Hamster IV scanner.
Firewalls
For the technology-adventurous, firewalls are another layer of protection between your home network and the internet. These devices monitor internet traffic and look for any suspicious activity.
Firewalls are devices mostly used on business networks. However, there are consumer-level firewalls and they are typically software. PC World suggests Little Snitch for Mac OS X and GlassWire for Windows computers.
Want more tips on how to secure your tech devices? Read this full #30DayChallenge series at the links below:
Inaugural post:Â Secure Your Digital Life
Week 1: Lock Down Your Social Media
Week 2: Clean Up Email Accounts