4 Cybersecurity Tips to Protect Your Family Online in 2025

As 2025 approaches, here are some simple but effective cybersecurity resolutions you should adopt to avoid suffering the same fate as the many Americans affected by hacking, phishing, and identity theft.

2024 was another year full of major data breaches, ransomware attacks, and hacks exploiting trivial software vulnerabilities, affecting both businesses and well-resourced individuals. For example, Change Healthcare was hit by ransomware exposing sensitive medical data and causing chaos in hospitals. But even as companies have been targets of massive hacks, sophisticated hacking operations have also targeted individuals.

Sometimes this takes the form of social engineering scams, such as scammers convincing elderly people that they are actually chatting with Johnny Depp – the Hollywood star applying for a loan. But many hacks follow the traditional route of using techniques like phishing to gain access to financial accounts and other private information.

Your family won’t have to fall victim to hackers in 2025. Some of the simplest security practices can help keep malicious hackers at bay. Here are five key cybersecurity resolutions to make in the new year:

#1: Passwords on Steroids

Weak passwords are a hacker’s delight. Many people are unable to change their password even after it has been exposed in a data breach. Generally, if you’re logging into your investment account with the same password you had ten years ago, it’s time to change! The popular website “Have I Been Pwned” is a useful tool for determining if your password is already circulating the web.

A second crucial aspect of good password security is not repeating the same password across many websites and applications. This way, if a password is leaked, you are not vulnerable on all accounts. Because this can be difficult to manage, consider using a password manager that has the added benefit of generating complex passwords that no crook will be able to defeat.

#2: Make Them Double Check

For all major accounts, including anything that allows financial transactions, implement multi-factor authentication (MFA), ideally using authenticator apps rather than text codes. MFA makes it much harder for hackers to gain access to accounts, even if they have stolen credentials. Many MFA systems have a “trust this device” option so you don’t have to remove your authenticator app every time you want to access an account from a known and trusted device like your personal computer.

#3: Keep everything up to date

Keep all software up to date and apply security patches promptly. Many damaging breaches in 2024 exploited years-old, unpatched vulnerabilities in software ranging from Windows itself to web browsers and other third-party applications. The programs you use every day are frequently updated due to new security threats, but the average American may be slow to update because it’s complicated. In 2025, stop clicking “update later” and bite the bullet. The more often you use a program, the more important this step is to complete.

Breitbart News suggests using a program like Malwarebytes to protect against accidentally downloading a malicious file. It’s also crucial that your defensive programs are always updated, as they are useless against new threats unless you are running the latest version.

#4: Treat all phone calls as suspicious

Be wary of unexpected phone calls, even if they appear to be from a legitimate source. Some hacker groups use scam calls as their primary attack vector. Never share sensitive information over the phone without verifying via another method.

As Breitbart News previously reported, hackers have begun targeting family members with “grandparent scams” in which they use AI voice cloning technology to call victims pretending to be for a loved one in difficulty. These calls inevitably result in demands for money or access to sensitive online accounts.

In all cases, whether the caller claims to be a relative, your bank, or anyone else you might do business with, confirm their identity by other means before taking action that you are sure you will get.

While no security strategy is foolproof, implementing these fundamental best practices can make you and your loved ones a much harder target for cybercriminals. In a threat landscape where even corporate giants are being brought to their knees left and right, these resolutions are more critical than ever for individuals hoping to preserve their privacy and financial security. Make 2025 the year you prioritize getting your cybersecurity posture in shape.

Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.