The digital world is messy, noisy, and occasionally hostile, and I've tried to stay at least a little security-conscious as more of my life has moved online.For a long time, that meant using a password manager and calling it a day.Strong, unique passwords everywhere felt like the finish line.
The problem is that threats have changed, and habits haven't always kept up.These days, relying on a password manager alone is a lot like locking your front door while leaving the windows open.Real account security now goes beyond passwords.
Passkeys, properly configured two-factor authentication, recovery planning, and basic device hygiene all matter just as much, if not more.If you're skipping those steps, you're still exposed to account takeovers, phishing, and credential reuse attacks, even if every password in your vault is long and random.This is what actually locking things down looks like, and where most people who think they're "doing security right" are still leaving gaps.
Turn on passkeys everywhere you can Turning on passkeys is one of the biggest security upgrades most people can make right now, and it's also one of the most overlooked.If a site offers passkeys, I enable them.They eliminate some of the most common attacks that password managers simply can't solve, like phishing pages that trick you into handing over otherwise strong credentials.
I've been a fan of Bitwarden for a while now, and to its credit, it handles passkeys well on modern browsers and platforms.Once enabled, passkeys don't feel like an extra security step, they feel like fewer steps and fewer chances to mess things up.That said, not every password manager supports passkeys equally, and some barely support them at all.
If your manager can't store or use passkeys reliably, you still have options.Many operating systems and browsers can act as passkey providers on their own, and that's still better than falling back to passwords everywhere.The important thing is not waiting for "perfect" support before you act.
If a site offers passkeys, use them.If your password manager supports them, great.If it doesn't, let the OS handle it and keep moving.
Security isn't about brand loyalty or feature checklists.It's about closing real gaps, one account at a time.Upgrade your two-factor beyond SMS Two-factor authentication is another place where a lot of people think they're done when they're really not.
Turning on SMS-based codes feels responsible, and it's definitely better than nothing, but it's also the weakest form of two-factor that still gets called "secure." Text messages can be intercepted, redirected, or hijacked through SIM swaps, and none of that requires breaking your password manager or guessing a strong password.If an attacker can talk a carrier into moving your number, those six-digit codes stop protecting you very quickly.If a site supports app-based two-factor or hardware keys, that's what I use.
Authenticator apps tie the code to your device, not your phone number, and hardware keys take it a step further by requiring something you physically have, like a YubiKey.It's harder to phish, harder to intercept, and harder to bypass remotely.Yes, it takes a few extra minutes to set up, but this is one of those cases where the "right" option actually reduces risk in a meaningful way.
SMS is a fallback, not a goal.If you're serious about locking down accounts, upgrading two-factor is one of the simplest wins you can make.Set up recovery before you need it Emergency access and recovery codes are the part of account security most people skip, and they're usually the ones they regret skipping.
That's a mistake, because they're the safety net for everything else you've locked down.Phones get lost, hardware keys fail, authenticator apps break, and accounts get flagged at the worst possible moment.If you haven't planned for that ahead of time, strong passwords and two-factor won't help much when you're the one locked out.
Real security plans for failure, not just the happy path.When I enable two-factor or passkeys, I treat recovery as part of the same setup, not an optional follow-up.With Bitwarden, I store recovery codes directly in my vault and have emergency access configured with someone I trust.
That way, if a device dies, or I lose access unexpectedly, I'm not scrambling or starting from scratch.The goal isn't just keeping attackers out.It's making sure I can still get back in when things go wrong.
Lock down your devices before something goes wrong Device security basics are easy to ignore because they feel boring and obvious, right up until they aren't.For a long time, I was on a kick where I removed the password from my phone because it was "annoying" and I was thinking about all the time I spent logging in.Then I lost my phone, and the struggle became very real, very fast.
Suddenly, it wasn't about convenience.It was about what anyone who picked it up could access, which accounts were still logged in, and how quickly a bad situation could get worse.That experience cured me of cutting corners pretty quickly.
Things like screen locks, OS updates, and browser profiles don't feel advanced, but they're foundational.A strong lock screen buys you time when a device goes missing.Timely updates quietly patch real-world exploits you'll never hear about until it's too late.
Separate browser profiles keep work, personal accounts, and risky logins from bleeding into each other.None of this is flashy, and none of it replaces a password manager or two-factor authentication.But if your device is wide open, all that other security can unravel fast.
Lock down the basics, because when something goes wrong, it's the first line of defense you'll wish you hadn't skipped.Do this first when an account gets compromised If you've already been compromised, the worst thing you can do is freeze or assume the damage is done.Account takeovers tend to have a cascading effect.
One compromised login turns into email access, which turns into password resets, which turns into a domino effect.I've been there, and the lesson is simple.Speed matters more than perfection.
You don't need a master plan.You need to start cutting off access immediately.How-To Geek Report: Subscribe and never miss what matters Unlock your tech-savvy potential and master the digital world with How-To Geek.
Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.You can unsubscribe anytime.First, secure your email account, because that's the real key to your kingdom.
Change the password, rotate the passkey or two-factor method if you can, and sign out of all active sessions.Then move to your password manager, change the master password, and force a vault logout everywhere.Related Microsoft Wants to Replace Your Passwords With Passkeys, and They Might be Onto Something You don't have to say goodbye to your favorite password quite yet.
Posts 56 By Timothy Jacob Hudson After that, start rotating passwords on any high-value accounts like banking, cloud storage, Apple or Google, and anything tied to work.Check recent login activity, revoke unknown sessions, and reissue recovery codes as you go.It's not fun, and it's not quick, but containment is about stopping the takeover.
You can audit and clean up later.The goal in those first moments is simple: damage control.Changes that actually make you safer A password manager is a good start, not a security strategy.
Real protection comes from stacking the basics that actually hold up when something goes wrong.Passkeys where you can, better two-factor than SMS, recovery plans you've tested, and devices that aren't wide open.None of this is about paranoia or perfection.
It's about closing the easy gaps before they turn into real problems.Feeling secure isn't the goal.Being harder to break into is.
AVG Antivirus Free OS Windows, macOS, iPadOS, iOS, Android Price $78/year See at AVG Expand Collapse
Read More
