Helping Your Family Stay Safe Online
If you know how to actually protect your account, then that’s a great starting place. But, if you have a weak spot in your family’s security, then your whole family’s security moght break down. This weak spot could be one of your relatives, who might not have learned these good security habits. If you help the people around you become safer and protected, then you will be safer too and protected: because hackers usually use one hacked person to reach other people.
Why family security matters
Hackers most likely target people who are the least prepared for hackers. Elderly relatives who didn’t grow up online, or maybe younger kids who don’t understand the risk of hackers, are things hackers target . A scammer who gets into one relative’s account can use the account to trick other people, since people think that messages from a trusted person are safe.
When you help your family make good security habits, you raise the security of your whole family, including you. Making sure your family has good security habits is one of the most caring and important things you can do.
Start with the basics
Youdon’t need to somehow turn your relatives into security experts. A couple of important habits stop most of the danger from hackers:
- Unique passwords: You can tell them that using the same password everywhere means one leak can unlock all of their accounts. A password manager makes this easy without the need to memorize anything.
- Two-factor authentication: Help your family turn two-factor authentication on for email and banking. Help them step by step together the first time you set it.
- Slow down on scary messages: Tell your family that something urging you to do something quickly is a trick. Real companies don’t threaten you into doing things like logging in at this minute.
- Never share passwords: Make it a rule that nobody, like someone claiming to be from a bank, should ever get a password or a verification code. Do not give your password away easily.
Talk about scams they will actually see
Different family members face different scams. Change the conversation depending on the type of person:
- Elderly people are often targeted by online scams and fake tech support. Tell them that an actual company will not call demanding passwords or payment in gift cards.
- Kids and teens may be targeted through games, social apps, and messages from strangers. Tell them not to click random links or share personal things about them.
- Everyone should know how to recognize phishing emails and fake login pages.
Real examples help more than just warnings. Share a scam you have seen as an example so they can understand scams and how they work.
Make the tools easy
The easier you make good security and make sure your family understands it, the more likely your family actually listens and sticks with it. Setting up a password manager for a relative, and showing them how it works:filling in logins automatically, will most likely make them actually use it. They understand that it makes their daily life easier, not harder. They don’t need to remember passwords and make their passwords memorable, and their accounts get safer at the same time.
Some password managers offer family plans or sharing features for safely passing along a shared login. For example, safely passing along a shared login like a streaming account, without texting the password in plain view, might give you extra geatures.
With HatePassword, each person’s vault is encrypted on their own device, so your family members’ passwords stay private to them while still being protected by strong encryption, stopping hackers from cracking your passwords.
Be patient and kind
Last but not least, remember that these habits take time to learn, and not everyone finds technology easy. Be patient. Offer to help them instead of lecturing them. Celebrate small things, like turning on two-factor authentication for the first time.
Keeping your family safe online is very important. By taking a little bit of your time to help your family: the people you care about, you make everybody safer, including yourself.