Protect your online wealth!
More and more people are getting into altcoins and whether you are successful or not, you probably have an amount of money (virtual or fiat) stored online that you don't want to lose.
You access your wallet or exchange to trade or to check your balance on a regular basis. However, have you ever wondered how secure you online wealth is?
Cyber criminals are getting smarter every day and are inventing new ways to take your money. With the increasing popularity of altcoins and the big gains associated with altcoins, you can bet that they will turn their attention to you.
What can you do?
You can start with securing your accounts with 2 factor authentication. Most people don't bother with it because it makes it harder to login. But security comes with a price. It takes away your easy access but it ensures that you are more secure.
It can also be that you simply don't know about 2 factor authentication, the option for activation is often hidden away in the account options (security).
If you have not activated 2 factor authentication go do it now! You can find more on 2 factor authentication here:
https://www.turnon2fa.com/
Make sure that all your accounts are protected.
What is 2 factor authentication?
2 factor authentication is an added control to verify if you are really the owner of an account. A lot of banks already use 2 factor authentication for online banking. Basically after you enter you username and password, you will be asked to enter an additional code. This is a code provided by an identifier or an app (the google authenticator for example). When you have entered the code you will have access to your account. This will ensure that even if your account has been hacked, nobody will be able to access your account unless they have access to your authenticator (identifier or app).
2 factor authentication and 2 step verification
It is good to know that there is a difference between 2 step verification and 2 factor authentication. 2 step verification is where after entering your username and password you will get a text message with a code. This is less secure than 2 factor authentication because text messages are less secure. So when you have the option always choose 2 factor authentication over 2 step verification.
Tips
- When activating 2 factor authentication you will get back-up codes. These codes are used in case you lose your phone/authenticator. Store these codes in a safe place where no one but you can access them.
- First thing I did when I joined Steemit was look for the 2 factor authentication option to protect my wallet. Unfortunately Steemit does not seem to have 2 factor authentication yet. Maybe we can get this trending so that someone takes notice and adds this function, making sure that our wallets are more secure.
More on 2 factor authentication (2FA)
https://www.turnon2fa.com/tutorials/
https://www.cnet.com/news/two-factor-authentication-what-you-need-to-know-faq/
https://blog.malwarebytes.com/101/2017/01/understanding-the-basics-of-two-factor-authentication/
Some of my most recent posts:
@xervantes/the-history-of-gaming-consoles
@xervantes/my-first-week-of-steemit
