Five Realistic Security Resolutions for 2019

​When we make New Year's resolutions, it's important to be realistic. So, here's the unfortunate reality of your privacy: you should assume that some of your personal information has already been stolen or compromised. Data breaches are increasing in frequency and size, and they often go on for years before they are discovered. The number of reported breaches jumped by over 44% from 2016 to 2017, and 2018 has already seen the second largest breach in history. If you don't think you're affected by all these breaches, take this New York Times quiz and see how many times your personal information may have been exposed.

In the spirit of being realistic, here are five New Year's security resolutions that will help protect you from the consequences of all these data breaches.

1. Start using a password manager. Every time a data breach is reported, we're told to change our passwords. And if you've used the same password for multiple accounts, you'll have to change them all. If you get a password manager, it's much easier to track your passwords and generate unique passwords for each account, and some can even change passwords for you automatically on many popular websites.
2. Install security software on your devices. Even if a data breach doesn't include personal information, scammers can use info such as preferences, interests, occupation, etc. to mount phishing attacks aimed at getting you to visit a fake website, provide more data, or download malware to your computer. The more of your information that is out there, the more convincing and hard to spot these scams can be. Good security software can warn you against visiting a dangerous site, prevent a malware download, or clean up your device if you do accidentally download something harmful.
3. Check security settings on your apps. You can't prevent corporate data breaches, but you can make sure your own apps aren't giving away your personal information. Apps can use the GPS, camera, and microphone on your devices to record you or track your activities and share with third parties. To protect your privacy, make sure these are turned off except when you're actually using the app and re-check them every time you install an update.
4. Check security settings on your smart devices. From digital assistants to smart appliances and even kid's toys, smart devices are a growing part of our lives, but the "Internet of Things" is becoming as dangerous as the Internet you surf. Unfortunately, many smart "things" lack good built-in security, so they can be hacked, and others are actually built to gather data on you for advertising purposes. All that data can be breached or misused, so use the security settings to keep it to yourself.
5. Get identity protection and recovery coverage. With over 3.6 billion records breached so far in 2018 alone, it's a good bet that, sooner or later, you're going to be hit with some kind of identity fraud. As the Identity Theft Resource Center found in a recent study, identity theft can take a severe emotional toll, as well as a financial one. With a strong identity protection and recovery plan such as IDX Privacy, you can relax a bit, knowing that your identity is being monitored for problems and, if problems arise, you can rely on an expert recovery advocate to restore your identity while you get on with your life.

New Year's resolutions are so often about creating a better future for ourselves—diet and exercise for a longer life or saving money for a more secure future. Taking steps to protect your identity is one more great way to take care of yourself, laying a safe foundation for all your hopes and dreams in the new year.