Account Sharing
The only person who should have access is you, and no one else. Any actions that occur on your account are your responsibility. It is also your responsibility to secure your account and avoid becoming compromised.
Two-Factor Authentication
Sites and common companies offer Two-Factor Authentication (also referred to as 2FA or Multi-Factor Authentication). This security method uses a secondary device to generate a code you input before logging into your associated account. If your password is discovered by someone else, they will be unable to log in as they cannot generate the required code.
There are various ways for Two-Factor Authentication to send a code; the common ways are via a phone application such as Google Authenticator or a text message to your phone. We recommend you have Two-Factor Authentication on all your important accounts, such as email accounts.
Always keep a copy of the backup codes given to you when you set up Two-Factor Authentication in case you ever lose your phone. You will be locked out of your accounts if you lose your phone and these codes.
Passwords
All accounts online have passwords. We have some general tips to help you keep those passwords secure.
- Use passwords with at least 12 or more characters where possible - longer ones are better. This helps make your password harder for a person or machine to guess or brute force.
- Use various character types, including letters (upper and lowercase), numbers, and special characters (e.g. !, @, #, or &). Avoid changing words with numbers, such as “P4aS5W0rd!” is still not a secure password.
- This ensures that if one password becomes compromised, no others will be, and reduces the damage to your information.
- If you struggle to remember passwords, you can use a password manager application; some managers come with built-in strong password generators when creating accounts online.
Security Questions
Where available, set up security questions so that websites will confirm that you are you when taking specific actions on them. Answering questions with custom passwords or random characters instead of using one more answer.
Email Address
Creating an email address or changing a current one by adding extra letters before or after the main part of your email address, such as "example+randomcharacters@email.com." Making the email address harder to crack for a person or machine.
Avoiding Becoming Compromised
When using the internet, remember not to give out any personal information. To help you with this, we have developed a list of ways to keep your information secure while browsing the internet.
- When clicking on any links on the internet, always check the link to ensure it is what you expect. If it is anything else, it is likely a phishing link with the site designed in such a way as to steal your personal information, such as your login details.
- Make sure only trusted apps and services have access to your Xbox Live profile information and associated data. Granting access to untrusted apps and services can compromise your personal information and be used for malicious intent.
- To stop unwanted visitors from accessing your accounts or information, changing your passwords throughout the year makes it harder for a person or machine to gain access if the information gathered is incorrect.
- If you are unsure whether a link is safe, you should not click it.