Family Cyber Hygiene: Passwords, 2FA, Kids' Devices and SIM Swaps

Home security used to end at the front door. Today a criminal who controls your email or phone number can reset bank passwords, read your travel plans and impersonate you to your family. The good news: a handful of habits, set up once on a quiet Sunday, close most of the gaps for everyone at home.

1. One password manager for the family

• Use a reputable password manager with a family plan, so each person has a private vault and you can share household logins safely.
• Let it generate a unique, long password for every account. Reused passwords are how one breach becomes ten.
• Protect the manager itself with a long passphrase and two-factor authentication, and keep recovery details somewhere safe offline.

2. Two-factor everywhere, the right kind

• Start with the accounts that unlock the rest: main email, Apple or Google account, bank and password manager.
• Prefer passkeys or hardware security keys based on FIDO standards, then authenticator apps. SMS codes are better than nothing but vulnerable to SIM swaps.
• Print or save recovery codes and store them in your safe, not in your inbox.

Your email is the master key to your digital house. Lock it like one.

3. Protect your phone number

In a SIM swap, a criminal convinces your carrier to move your number to their SIM and starts receiving your codes. Ask your carrier for a port-out PIN or account lock. In the US, the FCC adopted rules in 2023 requiring carriers to use secure methods to authenticate customers before SIM changes and number transfers. In Brazil, the federal Celular Seguro service lets you alert banks and apps quickly if your phone is stolen. If your phone suddenly loses signal for no reason, call your carrier at once.

4. Kids' devices and 5. the family code word

• Use built-in parental tools such as Apple's Screen Time and Family Sharing or Google Family Link, and require approval for new apps.
• Talk before you control: explain scams, private messages from strangers and why location sharing is for family only.
• Think before you post your children's school, routine or real-time location on social media.
• Agree on a family code word. If anyone gets an urgent call or message asking for money, even in a familiar voice, ask for the word first.
• Keep the router, phones and computers updated, and back up photos and documents in more than one place.