20 for ’26! Security Resolutions for a New Year
The new year is here, and it’s the ideal time to focus on your digital fitness. To help you secure your devices, data, and identity in 2026, here are 20 essential resolutions.
- Use a password manager to create unique passwords for all accounts.
- Enable multifactor authentication on all critical accounts.
- Check out an authenticator app or a physical security key.
- Use passkeys whenever available; they’re cryptographically secure and phishing-resistant.
- Delete unused online accounts to minimize your digital data footprint.
- Enable automatic updates for your operating system and critical applications.
- Install reputable antivirus/anti-malware software on all your devices.
- Secure mobile devices using a strong passcode or biometric authentication.
- Enable full-disk encryption on all of your computers.
- Uninstall all unused apps and software to reduce your attack surface.
- Assume all unexpected emails are phishing and delete them.
- Delete emails that offer prizes, impossible deals, or free money.
- Inspect the sender’s email address carefully for subtle misspellings or wrong domains.
- Use a secondary or disposable email address for newsletters and non-essential sign-ups.
- Change your wifi router’s default administrative username and password.
- Set up a separate guest wifi network for visitors and smart home devices.
- Reboot your router and modem monthly to clear bugs and force security updates.
- Update the firmware and change the default passwords on new IoT and smart devices.
- Physically mute the microphones on voice assistants when they’re not in use.
- Restrict permissions for smart device apps.
