Sim-swapping, identity theft, and database hacks are extremely common these days. It's incredibly easy for hackers to use one account (say your email or cell phone account) to get access to every other account you have. Scary when you think about how we all manage our banking, 401ks, and pay taxes online now.
Here are some basic steps you can take to up your security level. They will take an afternoon of work, but prevent weeks of pain if you are ever targeted:
- Reset all your passwords. Each account should use a 16+ character, randomly generated password. I like strongpasswordgenerator.com for this.
- Store all passwords in a password manager (Last Pass, Encryptr, or Keeper are my favorites).
- To make your password manager "master password" secure, use a passphrase made of words. This site tells you how to make one: [https://www.useapassphrase