What is a digital identity?
Wherever you go and whatever you do online, you have a digital identity that goes with you. This is comprised of your personal details, including name, email address, postal address, bank details, social media profiles and more. Your browsing data, search history, purchases and other website data are also tracked by companies as you use the web.
The way you access websites is also a part of your digital identity. So, any logins, passwords or biometric data also comprise your digital identity.
That’s a lot of data! And it’s one reason why it’s so important that you keep it protected.
What is identity protection?
Identity protection is the act of protecting an individual’s personal information to prevent theft or fraud. It consists of both the act of preventing a breach of personal data and the detection of those breaches.
Identity protection is the responsibility of the individuals whose identity needs to be protected, the companies they work for, the vendors of the tools they use, and the providers of the websites they visit and submit data to. In short, it’s everyone’s responsibility to ensure that data is protected but that doesn’t mean any one party can be complacent, including the user.
In fact, the easiest way to protect your identity from theft, is to ensure you take action to prevent breaches in the first place.
Why is identity protection necessary?
If an individual’s identity is not properly protected it can be stolen and used for illicit means and untold damage. Preventing this unauthorised access can go a long way to keeping that individual safe in the future.
There are many ways in which cybersecurity breaches can occur, including phishing, malicious software, data breaches and more. We explore these further in our guide to the types of cybersecurity threats.
Once the data has been breached, it can be used for numerous purposes, including:
- Reselling the data to other individuals
- Account, debit and credit card fraud
- National insurance, licence and ID fraud
- Mail and email identity theft
- eCommerce and online shopping fraud
- Identity theft
- Biometric theft
- Mortgage or home title fraud
- And more
These threats can cause significant financial loss, reputational harm, privacy issues and future security risks.
How can ESET protect my identity?
ESET’s suite of cybersecurity solutions can help keep you safe online. Our range of digital privacy protection tools include a VPN, password manager, real-time antivirus protection, safe banking & browsing and more. You can learn more about these benefits here.
ESET HOME Security Ultimate also includes Identity Protection, a suite of tools dedicated to protecting your personal data from theft and identifying if it has been stolen. Tools include:
- Dark web monitoring
- Monitoring and alerts
- Credit monitoring and reports
- Social media identity monitoring
- Fraud detection and alerts
- Identity recovery services
- Social security number tracking
More details can be found in our guide to the benefits of ESET Identity Protection.
The key features of ESET Identity Protection
- Dark web monitoring - The dark web is a difficult to access part of the web where illegal trading of personal information can occur, amongst other nefarious activities. ESET Identity Protection searches across black market sites to identify when and where any personal data has been leaked. It can then notify you when this has occurred so you can take action.
- Monitoring and alerts - In addition to breaches of user data on the dark web, ESET Identity Protection will also look for other identity theft incidents and uses of your data. This may include credit monitoring*, social security number tracking* and social media identity monitoring*.
- Identity recovery services* - If your identity has been breached this can be an incredibly stressful time. However, our Certified Identity Restoration Specialists can help with the paperwork required to get everything back to normal again.
* These features are only available for customers located in the USA due to applicable laws in the region.
How does identity protection work?
In addition to the support of ESET Identity Protection, users can help to prevent a breach from occurring by using a range of other tools. To help with this, within ESET HOME Security Ultimate we include:
- Virtual private network (VPN): Whether you’re browsing at home, at work, or in a public location, our VPN can give you access to secure and anonymous browsing. It provides real time protection with zero tracking, making it much harder for anyone to access your data. Learn more about VPNs.
- Password manager: Remembering strong passwords can be almost impossible, especially if you follow best practice and keep them unique for each site. A password manager solves this problem by creating secure passwords and providing them as you need them. Some password managers will also alert you when a password has been leaked in a data breach so you can change it.
- Use an up-to-date antivirus: Protect your devices with the latest antivirus to prevent keyloggers, malware and other malicious activities.
Plus you’ll get:
- Safe banking and browsing
- Firewall, Wi-Fi and network shield
- Encryption of sensitive data and photos
- File and folder security
- And more
Best practices for preventing identity theft
In tandem with using tools, there are steps you can take to prevent and detect breaches yourself. We’ve outlined some of our top tips below and you can read more about them in our guide to identity theft.
- Review financial accounts regularly - Look for suspicious activity on bank statements and with your credit score. In addition, look for any transactions that you did not make or cards/accounts you did not open. Query any irregularities with your bank.
- Scrutinise any unexpected mail or spam - If you have received a letter or email saying you have opened an account which you didn’t open, then this should be raised with the relevant organisation that sent the letter. Do not click links on any email of this type as it may be a phishing attempt.
- Keep passwords unique - Ensure you use complex and unique passwords and do not share them with anyone else, or leave them visible. ESET’s password generator and password manager can help with this.
- Check that websites are legitimate - If a website you’ve never heard of has a deal that’s too good to be true then stay away. Or, if you receive an unusual email from a company, be skeptical and check that it is real by visiting the official website, or contacting them via their official channels.
- Use multi-factor authentication - Two factor or multi-factor authentication options on websites and apps add an additional stage of verification to the login process. This could include a text message, email, phone call, or using a code from an authentication app. These help to ensure the person logging in is the right person.
- Protect any documents which contain personal information - Shred any documents you no longer need that contain personal information and ensure you do not leave any documents of this type visible in public where they could be seen or stolen. We also recommend wiping all sensitive data from any devices when they are sold or disposed of.
- Be careful what you share online - When sharing content on social media be careful not to overshare. Avoid sharing anything with personal details, or that may help people identify where you live.