SecurityBuying guide
How to lock down your accounts in 30 minutes
A practical, no-jargon checklist: passkeys, a password manager, two-factor codes and the settings most people never touch.
By Kwame Asante
You don’t need to become a security expert to be much harder to hack. Set aside half an hour, work through this list in order, and you will be safer than the vast majority of people online.
The checklist
- Secure your email first: add a passkey or an authenticator app, and review recovery options.
- Install a password manager and let it generate new passwords for your most important accounts.
- Turn on passkeys wherever they are offered — start with banking and shopping.
- Replace text-message codes with an authenticator app where you can.
- Review which apps can access your location, contacts and photos, and remove what you don’t need.
“Attackers go after the easiest target. You don’t need a perfect lock — just a better one than the house next door.”
Then, once a year
Check that your recovery email and phone number are current, remove devices you no longer own, and run your password manager’s security report. It takes ten minutes and catches most of the problems we see.
Written by
Kwame Asante
Security Reporter
Kwame covers privacy, security and the policy fights around both. He has never reused a password, and he will tell you about it.
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