Cybersecurity could be as easy as 1-2-3.
The problem, though, is that people have to want it.
In new research conducted by Malwarebytes, internet users across the United States and Canada admitted to dismal cybersecurity practices, failing to adopt some of the most basic defenses for staying safe online. And while some of the fault lies with the public, some also lies with the cybersecurity industry, which, according to the same research, has released products that people do not understand, do not trust, and, most concerningly, do not use for their intended benefits.
Optimistic interpretations do exist—perhaps some members of the public unknowingly have antivirus protections on their devices or they perhaps use device-provided password managers without knowing the name of the technology behind it—but other statistics point to a lack of trust and a high rate of apathy towards cybersecurity defenses overall.
For everyone interested in meaningful, simple cybersecurity, here are three things you can do right now.
1. Create and store unique passwords for each account with the help of a password manager
Strong passwords are a two-part problem: They must be unique for every online account, and they must be remembered.
Creating strong, unique passwords is simple enough, as any person can throw a cat at a keyboard and likely fulfill the password requirements for most online accounts. Uppercase and lowercase letters? Special characters? Numbers? No addresses, pet names, or usernames? These specifications are no match for “vn;aeo&d8ey38dD” (No cats were harmed in the creation of this password).
But remembering that password—and remembering every password like it—is physically impossible, as the number of online accounts and associated passwords that the average person can recall from memory is just a handful.
In fact, there is plenty of research that shows that people have trouble remembering unique passwords for just 13 separate accounts, and that the people have far more trouble remembering 4 – 6 passwords compared to 1 – 3.
But the modern internet doesn’t care about mental limitations. Instead, it demands an increasing number of accounts and passwords to manage for each person. According to research from the password manager LastPass, the average small business user has 85 passwords, and according to older research in 2015 from another password manager, Dashlane, an average user then had at least 90 accounts.
The most obvious solution to this first part of the password problem, then, is a password manager. Password managers can create and store strong, unique passwords for all your accounts, and they can interact directly with web browsers so that you don’t need to individually open the password manager app every time you log into a service.
But once you have a password manager, don’t stop there…
2. Use multi-factor authentication (MFA)
There are two statistics that matter for multi-factor authentication (MFA).
The first statistic was released in 2019, when Microsoft’s Group Program Manager for Identity Security and Protection Alex Weinert said: “Based on our studies, your account is more than 99.9 percent less likely to be compromised if you use MFA.”
The second statistic was released this month, when Malwarebytes found that only 24 percent of people use MFA. That number drops to 16 percent for Gen Z.
MFA tackles the problem of password abuse in a very different way than password managers and password creation.
MFA does not care if your password sucks. MFA will not make you use any special characters or numbers or uppercase or lowercase letters. MFA doesn’t require you to “remember” anything.
Instead, MFA stands between your account and the abuse of your password by requiring you to enter another form of authentication—other than a password—to log in. That means that even if a cybercriminal has your login information for your bank, that alone would not be enough to gain access. Instead, your bank would ask for a second form of authentication, which is typically a six-digit passcode that is sent to your device through a text message or email, or it is generated by your device with a separate app. Once you enter that passcode, only then are you allowed entry.
MFA is available on nearly every single critical type of online account today, and it should be used for the services that hold your most sensitive information, including your email, social media, and online banking.
3. Use antivirus
As Malwarebytes discovered in its latest report, it is not that the public do not care about cybersecurity and online threats—it is that they do not know entirely how to stay safe, or how cybersecurity tools protect them.
Particularly upsetting is that sometimes, even the users of online security and privacy tools have the wrong impression about those tools.
As Malwarebytes found, 22 percent of people use a VPN specifically to “help stop viruses/malware from getting on my device”—a function that VPNs do not provide. (In rare circumstances, some malware avoids detonation based solely on IP addresses, but that is an exception for the average user.)
Antivirus works. Every year, Malwarebytes detects and removes millions of viruses, Trojans, adware infections, monitoring tools, and more from user devices around the world. Importantly, behind nearly every detection is an attempt to harm you, the user.
Don’t fall for the easy path of apathy. Take three simple steps to stay safe.