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The more you use digital devices and the internet to access, manage, and store your personal files, the higher the risk of a hacker accessing them remotely.

But in a world where it's necessary to digitize every aspect of your life, how do you keep yourself safe from the inevitable cyberattack or data leak?

Digital distancing is the practice of limiting communication and access between different digital accounts, devices, or apps.

Think of it as a simplified version of network segmentation, where the network is broken into several independent units to minimize damages in case of a cyberattack or a data breach and makes them easier to protect individually.

To digitally distance your accounts and devices is to create protective distance between them. That way, if an attacker manages to break into one device or account, they dont have access to all of your data, but only a part of it.

Related:What Is a Data Breach and How Can You Protect Yourself?

In addition to minimizing the damages of a malicious cyberattack, practicing digital distancing also makes recovery easier. After all, youd only need to change the credentials of a few accounts, not all of them.The same goes for data recovery and mitigating social damages to your character and reputation.

You often hear phrases like "network segmentation" and "digital distancing" in business-centric cybersecurity conversations, rarely regarding internet security for the individual user. That's because the average user wasnt as big a target as they are now. But, since you might be working remotely from home, studying online, or working on a personal project, your data is much more valuable than it used to be10 years ago.

Applying digital distancing to a single user instead of a business corporation with dozens of employees differs in execution but not in concept.

Security measureslike this used to demand exceptional levels of skill and expertise, making it unavailable to the average user.Now that technology has became more wide-spread, anyone can implement a degree of digital distancing that best works for them.

Digital distancing forindividualsdoesntrequire technical elementsit's about behavioral changes and rules you set for your online activity to ensure maximum security.

Separating your devices and accounts doesnt need to have any specialized monitoring software as its easy to do it manually using readily-available tools.

If possible, use separate work/school and entertainment devices. This helps keep your most valuable data isolated in case of an attack, which is more likely to originate from the device you use for casual browsing than work orstudying.

You should use separate accounts for separate purposes. While those dont have to be strictly separated by the type of use, they limit the damages if your logins happen to be in a data leak.

A VPN doesnt only come in handy when watching Netflix. Learn how to use your VPN as it encrypts the data leaving your device into the open internet and masks your IP address.

Not to mention, most VPNs now come with built-in malware and spyware detectors, creating an additional layer of security while browsing even the most suspicious of websites.

One key element of digital distancing is using different passwords between accounts to keep them secure in case one is breached. A password manager keeps all of your passwords locked securely behind a single master password.

You might be worried that a cybercriminal can use a brute-force attack or similar to effectively guess your password andgain access to all of your logins. You could use two password managers if this concerns you; however, you need to make sure youuse multiple password vaults under different credentials. Otherwise, the risk is still there.

Nonetheless, a sole password manager should be fine.

MFA is your failsafe if one of your passwords is stolen. Using MFA is akin to implementing an additional login requirement that a hacker won't be able to bypass as easily. MFA comes in the form of text messages, emails, physical keys, or on-device authentication apps.

Using one or more authentication method should correlate to your threat model and how valuable an account or device is.

The goal of digital distancing is to limit communication betweenservicesto isolate them. Regular cross-device and cross-account syncing does the exact opposite. It links and shares data between devices and accounts openly and regularly.

Instead ofstopping synchronization altogether, limit it to a smaller number of accounts and devices and use it only when necessary. You can also replace direct file syncing with using secure cloud storage where you manually input a passwordand preferably an additional authentication methodto access data.

An Internet of Things (IoT) device is any device that connects to the internet. This could be a printer, thermostat, or smart assistant.

While most IoT devices promise maximum security, according to NETSCOUTSs Threat Intelligence Report, it takes an average of five minutes for an IoT device to get attacked after it goes online.

You should aim to keep your IoT devices offline as often as possible. Otherwise, heres what you can do:

The kill-switch could be automatic; for instance, after a certain number of failed login attempts, using geographical location boundaries, or manual through remote access. These methods allow you to permanently dispose of private data stored on a lost or stolen device.

That way, you can eliminate the trails a hacker or thief can follow to your other devices and accounts through crumbs you might have accidentally left behind as well as keep your personal files private.

Just be careful your information isn't completely lost,so back them up regularly.

The more secure your files are, the less convenient using your accounts and devices becomes. Thats why instead of going overboard and exhausting yourself with strict security measures, start slow and do what's necessary to your situation.

Secure your most valuable accounts first, such as your email, cloud storage, and password manager.

Image Credit: Unsplash.

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Anina is a freelance technology and internet security writer at MakeUseOf. She started writing in cybersecurity 3 years ago in hopes of making it more accessible to the average person. Keen on learning new things and a huge astronomy nerd.

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Stay Safe Online: What You Need To Know About Digital Distancing - MakeUseOf