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Your accounts · Law 8
Lock down the Big Four
Four accounts can really hurt you if they're broken into. Give each one a strong password and two-factor — then the one extra step that matters most.
Email — the crown jewel
Everything else can be reset through your email, so it comes first and gets your strongest password plus two-factor. This is the master key to your online life — guard it hardest.
On your screen: An email account's Security page Your bank
Strong password and two-factor, then turn on transaction alerts by text or email so you're told the instant money moves. Catching a strange charge early turns a disaster into a quick phone call.
On your screen: A bank app's "Alerts" settings Your main social account
Facebook, Instagram, and the like: strong password and two-factor, then a quick privacy check of what strangers can see about you.
On your screen: Facebook's "Who can see your posts" set to Friends Your phone carrier
The one people forget. Open your carrier's app or call them and add a PIN or passcode to your account. Here's why: if a crook talks your carrier into moving your number to their phone, your texted codes start going to them. A carrier PIN slams that door.
On your screen: Adding an account PIN in a carrier app
Do these one at a time over a few days. You don't have to finish in one sitting — each one you handle leaves you safer than before.