It doesn\u2019t matter how secure a platform is if user error\ncomes into play. Drop your housekey in the wrong place, and anyone can waltz\nright in. Leave your laptop open at a coffee shop and someone can steal your\nbanking information. Privacy is a two step process \u2013 you need a platform that\noffers you the highest amount of security possible, but you also need to take\nthe necessary steps on your end to meet that security in the middle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. Use a Password\nManager and a Strong Password<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Never use the same password for two things. If the password\nfor one site becomes compromised, the password for another site becomes\ncompromised. If the password was for an email account, it\u2019s easy for a hacker\nto request password resets on every other account associated with that email\naddress. You cannot afford to take chances with your email passwords.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The best solution is to utilize passwords that are at least\n16 characters in length. These passwords should contain a combination of\nuppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols or special\ncharacters. If you have a very difficult time remembering your password, that\u2019s\na good sign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Complicated passwords can be stored with a password manager like KeePass<\/a>. You can create a private, locked password database that will allow you to securely copy and paste lengthy and complicated passwords into the password field on PrivateMail. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. Enable\n2 Factor Authentication in PrivateMail Settings<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n PrivateMail has a setting for 2 factor authentication, and\nit\u2019s in your best interest to enable that setting. Two factor authentication\nmeans you\u2019ll need more than just a password to access your account \u2013 the\npassword is merely the first step. Two factor authentication requires a second\nverification of your identity and ascertains that you are in fact the person\nthe account belongs to. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Upon every login attempt, a verification code will be sent to you. You can input the code and approve or deny access. Because 2 factor authentication requires a second step, you\u2019ll get the heads up if someone is attempting to access your account without your permission. You\u2019ll be able to change your password before the unauthorized individual has a chance to access your email. Android and iOS Apps like Authy can help keep track of your 2 factor login codes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. Enable\nOpenPGP Encryption for Email and Paranoid Encryption (AES-256) for Cloud Storage.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n End-to-end encryption is the only way to keep things completely private on the internet. PrivateMail offers OpenPGP encryption<\/a>. OpenPGP is one of the most effective encryption tools available, and you don\u2019t need to have an understanding of encryption fundamentals in order to use it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s easy to enable and generate encryption keys. Just turn\nthe feature on, generate a key, and save it. You can easily import the keys of\npeople you\u2019ve exchanged them with, and keep all of your future conversations\nprivate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Paranoid encryption, or AES-256, can be enabled for cloud storage. Paranoid encryption is a 256 bit encryption system that is virtually impossible to crack. Using the option to protect your cloud storage means that all stored files cannot be seen except by the person who holds the private key. PrivateMail’s FileSync apps can be set to keep all files encrypted both locally and on our servers using AES-256 encryption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n PrivateMail never sees or receives any OpenPGP keys or\nParanoid encrypted files you save, send, or store. We\u2019re not an invasive third\nparty \u2013 we\u2019re merely bridging the connection between you and the person you\u2019re\ncommunicating with. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 4. Look Out\nfor Social Engineering Attacks<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Social engineering is one of the easiest methods that\nhackers use to obtain private information from a recipient. Headers and subject\nlines that seem suspicious should always be further investigated. Don\u2019t open\nsomething if you aren\u2019t sure what it is \u2013 especially if it\u2019s an unencrypted\nemail from someone you don\u2019t know well and haven\u2019t exchanged OpenPGP keys with.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Absolutely never exchange even vaguely sensitive information\nin an email that isn\u2019t encrypted. Don\u2019t send attachments and don\u2019t open any.\nSocial engineering hackers are very clever, and it\u2019s easy for them to be clever\nif they actually know you. They know who you might be talking to, they know who\nto pretend to be, and they can be alarmingly clever. Always rely on the\nencryption key \u2013 it\u2019s the only way to know for sure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 5. Never\nSkip an Update <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s really easy to hit the \u201cremind me later\u201d button without\nthinking about the damage it can do. It\u2019s more than slightly annoying to have\nto stop what you\u2019re doing to run an update \u2013 especially if you\u2019re in the middle\nof watching something or gaming. Don\u2019t wait too long. Tech savvy people\ntypically run every available update on the first Tuesday of every month. Every\nsingle internet connected device you use needs to be updated as regularly as\npossible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Updating firmware and protection software often is necessary\nbecause new threats emerge every day. Updates usually contain rebuttals to\nemerging threats, keeping you protected before you ever have a chance to\nencounter them. If your device is old, it may not be compatible with new\nsecurity updates. It\u2019s important to upgrade your laptops, PCs, and smartphones\nwhen they\u2019re on the verge of becoming obsolete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Don\u2019t just utilize one or two safety practices \u2013 utilize every safety practice made available to you. Keep all your settings on max, change your passwords periodically, and opt in to every additional security feature that PrivateMail <\/a>(or any other website) has to offer. With the amount of personal and private information being exchanged on the internet every day, there\u2019s no such thing as being too safe. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It doesn\u2019t matter how secure a platform is if user error comes into play. Drop your housekey in the wrong place, and anyone can waltz right in. Leave your laptop open at a coffee shop and someone can steal your banking information. Privacy is a two step process \u2013 you need a platform that offers […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[11,8,10],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/privatemail.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/privatemail.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/privatemail.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/privatemail.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/privatemail.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/privatemail.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25,"href":"https:\/\/privatemail.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23\/revisions\/25"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/privatemail.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/privatemail.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/privatemail.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/privatemail.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}