Hacking: Tips from an expert on how to prevent it from happening to you

“I always start with passwords,” said Scott Schober, CEO of Berkeley Varitronics Systems, on cyber security.

“It goes back to the human element. We’re creatures of habits. We are too lazy. We create weak passwords.” Schober recently published Hacked Again: It Can Happen to Anyone Even a Cyber Security Expert, and has some tips to offer to Realtors® to avoid getting hacked.

Schober advised that you create passwords that are long and strong. He said he recommends a minimum of 12 characters, including lowercase letters, capitalized letters, numbers and symbols. “Your password should make no sense,” he said. “It should take years to hack. Create a password that has nothing to do with you, not your birthday, house number, firstborn kid, nothing that you put in social media should be your password. There is software that hackers use that scans social media networks and can find common words you use.”

He also suggested avoiding words that are in the dictionary when creating a password, whether it be a person’s name or the word dog. He said to especially avoid using the word Realtor® or anything associated with realty. “It sounds counterintuitive because its easier to remember, but it makes their job so much easier. They can hack in a matter of seconds.”

However, once you create that perfect password, it’s time to create even more. Schober said you should not ever reuse passwords. While there are plenty of websites that help you keep track of all of your logins and passwords, he said he prefers to write them down in a black book and keep them locked in a drawer. “Layers of security are the best defense,” he said.

While some websites allow to skip setting up an account, and instead use your Facebook or Google to log in, Schober said you should avoid doing that. He said it typically gives these websites permission to access your data, along with your contacts’ data. “They want that metadata, as it will allow them to sell and market to others. Its very valuable to them. It gives away your privacy,” he said. Instead, he advised creating a log-in for each site, along with a strong password.

“Putting out too much information can be and is very dangerous when you’re a target of the attack. Make it really hard for someone to hack you,” he said.