Most people are not breached by sophisticated attacks but by the absence of a few basic protections. This checklist lists twelve of them, ordered so that the first four alone stop most account takeovers. Tick them off as you go; the ticks are saved only in this browser and never sent anywhere.

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Password manager installed and in daily useBrowser built-in or a dedicated app. It generates and remembers everything.

Two-factor sign-in on your email accountEmail resets everything else, so it goes first.

Two-factor sign-in on banking and payment appsIncluding any account with a saved card.

Unique passwords on email, bank, phone carrier and main social accountThese four are the ones criminals try first with leaked credentials.

Devices

Automatic updates on for phone, computer and browserAnd you restart when asked.

Screen lock on every devicePIN, fingerprint or face. Auto-lock within a couple of minutes.

Disk encryption enabled on laptopsFileVault, BitLocker or the equivalent. Phones are usually encrypted by default once locked.

Home router password changed from the default and firmware up to dateThe sticker password is public knowledge.

Habits and recovery

Bookmarks for bank, email and other important sitesSo you never need to click a link in a message.

Automatic backup running, and tested onceYou have restored at least one file to prove it works.

Backup codes and recovery details saved2FA backup codes stored; recovery email and phone up to date.

A "hang up and call back" rule agreed with family or colleaguesAnyone asking for money or codes gets a call back on a known number.

Saved in this browser only. Nothing is sent anywhere.

Why this order

The first four items address the way most accounts are actually lost: a reused or guessable password, and no second factor on the account that resets all the others. Devices come next because an unpatched or unlocked device undoes everything else. The habits at the end are what protect you against the attacks no setting can stop.

Your protection checklist.

Progress

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Devices

Habits and recovery