Your subscription accounts — from work tools to entertainment — are digital assets with financial and informational value. The good news: most breaches are preventable with five simple habits.
1. Use a unique password per account
Reusing one password across services means a single breach exposes all of your accounts. A reputable password manager makes long, unique passwords practical without memorising them.
2. Turn on two-factor authentication
Even if a password leaks, the second factor — an authenticator app or a hardware key — blocks the sign-in. For financial and work accounts this is not optional.
3. Review sessions and connected apps
Once a month, review the list of connected devices and apps, and revoke anything unfamiliar. It takes two minutes and exposes most silent abuse.
4. Distrust urgency
Phishing almost always arrives with urgency: “your account will be suspended” or “claim your prize now”. No legitimate service asks for your password or verification code over a message.
- A unique password for every service
- Two-factor authentication on important accounts
- Monthly review of devices and permissions
- No clicking on urgency links
- Buy subscriptions only from documented, trackable stores
