The lockdown guides
Protect
Step-by-step guides to lock down every account and device your family uses, each with a ten-minute checklist, the full walkthrough with screenshots, a version to do for a parent, and what to do if you get locked out. Every guide shows the date it was last verified.
The series
The 10-Minute Deadbolt: one account a day →For a parent
The Family Setup Kit: one afternoon, done →Identity
Freeze your credit and stop identity theft →Start here
- 1
10 minutes
Lock down your Gmail accountYour email is the master key. Anyone inside it can reset the password on your bank, your Amazon and everything else.
- 2
10 minutes
Lock down your iPhoneYour phone is your bank, your email, your photos and your two-factor codes. A stolen passcode is a stolen life.
- 3
10 minutes
Lock down your Android phoneYour phone holds your bank, your email and your two-factor codes. A weak screen lock or a sideloaded app hands all of it over.
- 4
10 minutes
Lock down your Facebook accountA hacked Facebook account is used to scam your friends in your name, and it is the login for dozens of other apps.
- 5
10 minutes
Lock down your bank loginOnline banking is the account scammers are actually after; everything else is a route to it.
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- Lock down your Gmail accountYour email is the master key. Anyone inside it can reset the password on your bank, your Amazon and everything else.
- Lock down your Outlook or Microsoft accountYour Microsoft account is your email, your OneDrive files and often your Windows login. It resets everything else.
Phones and devices
- Lock down your Android phoneYour phone holds your bank, your email and your two-factor codes. A weak screen lock or a sideloaded app hands all of it over.
- Lock down your iPhoneYour phone is your bank, your email, your photos and your two-factor codes. A stolen passcode is a stolen life.
Social media
- Lock down your Facebook accountA hacked Facebook account is used to scam your friends in your name, and it is the login for dozens of other apps.
Banks
- Lock down your bank loginOnline banking is the account scammers are actually after; everything else is a route to it.
Accounts and IDs
- Lock down your Amazon accountAmazon has your cards and your address, and it is the most impersonated company in the country.
Home network
- Lock down your home Wi-Fi routerThe router is the front door for every device in the house, and most are still on the password printed on the box.