How Do I Protect Myself Against Hackers

How to avoid being an easy target for attackers and prevent your social media, WhatsApp, or bank accounts from being “hacked.” You might think this is something only experts can avoid, but with these simple rules, you can prevent the vast majority of attacks.

1. The Security Key: Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA/2FA)

Enable Multi-Factor Authentication whenever available. If a site allows you to activate 2FA, do it. It might not be you who leaks the password—your provider might get breached—but if they don’t have the second factor, they can’t do anything.

Extra Tip: Prefer apps like Authy or similar over SMS messages, which are much easier to intercept.

2. Passwords: Long Over Complicated

A long password is much harder for a computer to crack than a short one with weird symbols.

• Not so good: Pizz4-2026 (Easy to break via brute force).
• Good: i really love pizzas without pineapple (Almost impossible to crack and easy to remember).
• Pro tip: Never reuse passwords. If one falls, they all fall.

3. Password Managers and the “Human Factor”

Use a manager (like Bitwarden paid version) for 90% of your accounts. And like nothing is 100% safe, for your “Crown Jewels” (banks or primary emails), use your own memory or the Analog Method: a physical piece of paper with a code only you understand, kept in a safe place at home. Hackers can’t break into your drawer from the internet.

4. Phishing: The Art of Deception

The rule is simple: Don’t click.

• If the bank sends you an SMS saying your account is blocked, don’t touch the link.
• Open your official app or type the URL yourself into the browser.
• Don’t scan QR codes you see on the street or that are sent to you via message; this is a common way for attackers to hijack your WhatsApp or infect your device with malware.
• Do not click links in emails, SMS, WhatsApp, social networks, etc.
• 99% of successful hacks start with an impulsive click. Always think before you click.

5. Calls and “Spoofing”: Don’t Trust the Number

Is your bank calling? Great. Hang up and call the number on the back of your card yourself. Attackers can spoof the caller ID to make it look like a legitimate number.

• The Family Code: Now with AI, it’s easy for voices and faces to be cloned, so set up a “secret word” with your family and friends. If you receive an emergency call asking for money or claiming some kind of urgent situation, that word will be the only way to verify that it’s not a scam or an AI-generated audio. If you didn’t set one up and they already called you, ask questions that only your friend or your mom/boss would be able to answer. Also apply this to your company execs.

6. Social Media Common Sense

Don’t give information away to attackers.

• Avoid uploading photos of plane tickets, documents, your full name, or even your keys—they can be cloned.
• Your real-time location? Better upload it once you’ve left the place. Oversharing is the instruction manual for a social engineering attack. You are helping them with everything you post.
• Also try not to share too much personal information with AI applications, because you don’t know where that information will end up or whether it could be used against you.

7. Software and Piracy: “Just don’t do it”

“Cracked” software or free movie download sites are the favorite nesting grounds for malware. An antivirus, even a free one or Windows Defender, is vital, but it’s not a magic armor if you install the virus yourself.

8. Do Not Share This Code With Anyone

When you receive a text that says “do not share this code with anyone”… well, don’t share it, bro. They might be trying to steal your WhatsApp or install your banking app on another phone. This happens very often: someone calls pretending to be from a delivery service or the bank, asks for the code they just sent you, and then—surprise!—you’re locked out of your account.

“Bonus Tips”

Updates: “Yeah, I know, they’re a pain in the neck”

We often postpone Windows updates (or whatever OS you use) because we’re in a hurry and don’t want to restart. But it’s crucial to stay updated. Most of the time, those updates are patches for security flaws that attackers are already using.

Public Wi-Fi: “Don’t use them for the important stuff”

Connecting to airport or coffee shop Wi-Fi to check your bank account is a bad idea. It’s not safe. Use your mobile data instead or wait until you get to a trusted network. Also, check out my article about VPNs for more on this.

Backups: “It’s like your digital insurance”

If everything else fails and you get hit by Ransomware (the virus that kidnaps your files), a backup is your only way out. You wouldn’t believe how many people ask us for help recovering files deleted by accident or from a broken phone. Try to keep both a cloud backup and a physical copy at home: if the drive fails, you have the cloud; if the cloud fails, you have the drive.

Secure Browsing: Incognito Mode vs. Privacy

Many people believe that “Incognito Mode” makes them invisible to hackers. In reality, it only clears cookies and history from your computer. Basically, it just makes sure your girlfriend doesn’t see which sites you’ve been visiting you dirty rascal. Don’t think for a second that Incognito makes you invisible on the internet. If you want more privacy and fewer ads, try Brave.

Try not to buy devices connected to the Internet

Many devices are constantly “calling home” and sending your data back to their manufacturers. For example, there have been documented cases of robot vacuums sending detailed floor plans of their owners’ homes to the company that made them, or doorbell cameras capturing the faces of people passing by and sending that information to the service provider. For this reason, it’s best to buy devices that are not connected to the Internet. You’ll also save money, since you won’t have to pay subscription fees.

Share your biometric data as little as possible

Biometric data is essentially who we are: for example, our fingerprints, our face, our retina, and more. This type of data cannot be changed like a password or a multi-factor authentication method; it’s permanent. If you trust this information to a third party and it gets hacked or sold, there’s very little you can do to fix the situation.

Perfect security doesn’t exist, but cybersecurity is about reducing the attack surface. If you follow these steps, you’ll stop being an “easy target” and force attackers to look for someone less prepared.

• Remember that Hackers are the good guys like me ;). “Crackers” are the bad guys. I used the word “hacker” here so most people would understand, but hackers aren’t the villains. Remember that, bro.