Identity Management (IDM), also known as Identity and Access Management (IAM), is a set of practices and policies that helps to manage users' digital identities and ensures that the right user can use the right resources (application or data) without any interference.

This day is celebrated to create awareness about the importance of identity management. Identities are the potential target for hackers to steal data. These hackers need just a few techniques to steal your credentials. What happens next? Your data gets leaked and your privacy gets compromised. They may misuse these credentials, which leads to identity-related security breaches. 

Best practices to protect your identity

Stay away from these hackers and save your identities without much effort. Let us follow these simple steps to protect our identity and prevent malicious attacks.

1. Check before you click

We receive a lot of emails with a link that attracts us to click on them and share our private information. Here, pause and check who sent the email, and if possible, check whether it is from a legitimate source. These emails are sent by hackers with the intention of stealing your credentials, credit card numbers, personal information, etc. They use this information to do fraudulent activities. By pretending to come from a legitimate source, scammers will try to trick you into giving them your personal information. This technique is called phishing. This is the most common cyberattack we should be aware of to protect our identity.

2. Set up TFA or MFA

Two-Factor Authentication (TFA) requires only one additional factor, whereas  Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) usually requires two more factors to verify your identity in addition to a password. Even if the hackers successfully crack the user's password and pass the first layer of security, they will not be able to penetrate the other security layers.

3. Complicate your passwords

Try to create a password that is at least 12 characters long, unique, and contains a combination of upper/lowercase letters, symbols, and numbers. Make your password complex so that it is harder for an attacker to crack, but also make sure it is easily remembered.

If it is harder for you to remember multiple complex passwords, use password managers such as Zoho Vault.

4. Avoid using open networks

It is not safe to log in to your accounts when connected to an open network available in public places. You might get a warning notification while accessing your bank account on public Wi-Fi. Hackers can easily access your account information or can install malware on your device without you knowing. When we connect to a public network, the data is transmitted from our device to the website or service. A man-in-the-middle (MITM) attack is when a hacker positions himself in between the connection between a user and a website or an application. The goal is to manipulate either of the parties and steal the data that is being transferred between them.

5. Update and fix

Updating your software and devices whenever you receive an update alert can automatically fix security issues and enhance new features.