Learn Digital Security
Start with the quick start: four short plans for a caller asking for money or a code, money already sent, an account you cannot get into, or a lost phone. It needs no setup and fits on a phone.
A practical checklist for your accounts, devices, recovery and backups, with the exact settings for iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac and Chromebook. It also covers recognizing scams, checking what you read online, protecting your credit, and what to do when something goes wrong. Your security file stays in your browser, and nothing in it is a password.
Describe your setup. Say which devices you have, which email is your main one, and whose accounts these are. Every green box will then show the steps for your own phone, computer and email. It stays in your browser; nothing is uploaded, and nothing secret is asked. This manual works without it.
Find what you need
Open the manual at the chapter that fits what is in front of you.
- Something is wrong right now
- Something wrong right nowMoney sentA password, a number or a computer given awayA lost or stolen phone
- Starting from nothing
- The whole checklist on one pageDescribe your setupYour starting listGetting back in
- Passwords, two-step sign-in and passkeys
- Where passwords live: a manager or a bookChanging passwords: email first, then moneyThe methods, strongest to weakestPasskeys
- A phone, a computer or the home Wi-Fi
- Finding a lost phone, and theft protectionUpdates, and the date they stopYour home Wi-Fi and the routerHow long devices get updates
- A call, text or message I do not trust
- The four signs and the payment ruleThe call-back habitStop, then check the source somewhere elseCheck card
- Backups, credit and identity
- Sync is not a backupRestore one fileCredit freezesBank and card alerts
How to use this manual
If something is wrong right now, start with the quick start; it fits on a phone and needs no setup. The whole checklist puts every action on one page. Otherwise open this manual at the chapter you need; nothing has to be read in order. Every chapter opens with Start here, the few steps that are the minimum for a first pass, and a Go deeper switch hides the optional depth until you want it. Fill in setup once and the green boxes in every chapter show the steps for your own devices. Where one chapter assumes another, it says so at the foot of the page: change a password only after your recovery phone and email are right.
What each chapter has:
- Start here: the three to five steps that are the minimum for a first pass, fitted to your setup. Sections marked Go deeper are optional, and a switch on each chapter hides them.
- Understand: the concept and the judgment behind it, explained from fundamentals outward.
- See it: a worked example, and free demonstrations chosen so you see it done well before you try it.
- Practice: an exercise you can run with what you have, usually producing something you keep.
- Your setup: a green box that translates the chapter to the setup you described in setup.
- Check your work: criteria, a worked example, common mistakes, and what is still unresolved.
- A short knowledge check and a scenario with feedback on each path.
Mark it up as you read. Beside every heading there is a flag to bookmark the section and a Note button; select any passage to highlight it or attach a note. Everything you mark collects on My notes & bookmarks, grouped by chapter and printable, saved only in this browser and carried in your security file export.
Contents
Getting started
- Your starting list: your devices, your accounts and the two keysStart your digital security checklist: list every phone, tablet and computer, the accounts that matter most, and why your email and phone number come first.
- Getting back in: recovery phone, recovery email, contacts and codesSet up account recovery before you need it: recovery phone and email, recovery contacts and printed codes for Google, Apple, Microsoft and Yahoo accounts.
Passwords and sign-in
- Passwords: long, different for each account, kept in a manager or a bookHow to make long, unique passwords, turn on the password manager built into your phone or computer, keep a password book safely, and find reused passwords.
- Two-step sign-in and passkeys: a second lock on your accountsTurn on two-step verification for Gmail, Apple and Microsoft accounts, print backup codes, make a passkey, and add your phone company's number lock.
Devices and backups
- Your phone and tablet: updates, locks and finding a lost oneSecure an iPhone, iPad or Android phone: automatic updates, a six-digit passcode, Find My or Find Hub, theft protection, app permissions and who has access.
- Your computer and home Wi-Fi: updates, built-in protection and the routerSecure a Windows PC, Mac or Chromebook: updates and end-of-support dates, Windows 10 options, built-in protection, the home router, public Wi-Fi and VPNs.
- Backups: a copy you have testedBack up an iPhone, Android phone, Windows PC, Mac or Chromebook, tell sync from backup, compare storage with the free amount, and restore one file to test it.
Scams, sources and money
- Recognizing scams: the four signs and the call-back habitThe four signs of a scam, the payment methods only scammers insist on, the call-back habit, family code words, and the common bank, tech support and toll scams.
- Checking what you read online: sources, ads, photos, voices and AI answersCheck a surprising post, ad, photo, voice or chatbot answer before acting on it: lateral reading, reverse image search, search ads, health claims, fact checks.
- Protecting your money and identity: freezes, alerts and government accountsHow to freeze your credit for free at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, turn on bank alerts, read a credit report, add the IRS IP PIN and my Social Security.
When something goes wrong, and your file
- When something goes wrong: hacked accounts, lost phones and money sentWhat to do if you sent money to a scammer, gave out a password, let someone into your computer, lost your phone or were hacked, and where to report it.
- Your security file: print it, keep it, check it, share it with carePrint your security file with no passwords in it, set a legacy or inactive-account contact, schedule check-ups, and help a relative set up with permission.
Common questions
How do I make my online accounts more secure?
Start with a list of your accounts and mark your main email, since it can reset the others (Your starting list). Check its recovery phone and email (Getting back in), give it a long password used nowhere else (Passwords), and turn on two-step sign-in (Two-step sign-in and passkeys). Then do the same for your money accounts.
Is it safe to write down my passwords?
It depends on who can reach the paper. The UK's National Cyber Security Centre says a password book can suit some people, if the passwords are still long and different, the book stays at home, and your bank's terms allow it. Paper is out of reach of strangers online, not of people in your home. Passwords covers both a password book and a password manager.
What is two-step verification and do I need it?
Two-step verification asks for a second thing after your password: a prompt on your phone, a code from an app or a text, or a passkey. CISA, the FTC and EFF all say any second step is better than none. Turn it on for your email and money accounts first. Two-step sign-in and passkeys shows how for Google, Apple and Microsoft.
What is a passkey?
A passkey is a way to sign in without typing a password. Your phone or computer makes a pair of keys; the website keeps only the public half, so there is nothing to steal or type into a fake site. You unlock it with your face, fingerprint or screen lock. Two-step sign-in and passkeys covers making one.
How do I get back into my Gmail if I lose my phone?
Use Google's own account recovery page; wrong guesses do not lock you out, and a device and place you have used before help. It works best when a recovery email and backup codes were set up beforehand. Nobody legitimate charges to recover an account. Getting back in sets this up before you need it.
How do I back up my iPhone?
Turn on iCloud Backup in Settings, then check the date of the last backup on the same screen. iCloud's free 5 GB is shared with photos and mail, and photos synced with iCloud Photos are not part of the backup. Backups covers the paths, the storage calculator and restoring one file to test it.
Is it still safe to use Windows 10?
Microsoft ended Windows 10 support on October 14, 2025. Home users can get security fixes only, through October 12, 2027, by enrolling in Extended Security Updates. Your computer and home Wi-Fi lists the options and how to check whether the computer can run Windows 11.
How do I know if a call from my bank is a scam?
Caller ID can be faked, even with the bank's real number. Hang up and call the number on the back of your card. A real bank will not ask for a sign-in code or tell you to move money to protect it. Recognizing scams teaches the four signs and the call-back habit.
How do I freeze my credit for free?
Place a freeze at each of the three bureaus, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, online or by phone. It is free to place and lift and does not affect your credit score. The paid "lock" products on the same sites are different. Money and identity has the steps.
What do I do if I let a scammer into my computer?
Disconnect the computer from the internet, run a full scan with its built-in protection, and change your passwords from another device, starting with email. If you paid, call your bank or card company at the number on your card now. The quick start and When something goes wrong have the full plan.