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How to pick
Almost all of this is free and has nothing to buy. Use different passwords, turn on the code that gets texted to you, and do not click links in unexpected emails. The hardware below is for when you want to go a step further, usually because something already went wrong once. If you have been through a hacked email account, a security key is the thing that actually stops it happening again.
What I recommend
Webcam cover slides
A few dollars for a cover that slides over your laptop camera. Is anyone actually watching? Probably not. Does it cost almost nothing to stop wondering about it? Also yes.
- Thickness
- Under 1mm so the lid still shuts
- Backing
- Adhesive
- Quantity
- Buy a multipack
- Fits
- Laptop, tablet, phone
Laptop privacy screen filter
Makes your screen look black from the side. Useful if you work on a plane, in a waiting room, or anywhere you handle anything you would not want the next seat over reading. Get the size that matches your screen.
- Size
- Must match your screen exactly
- Angle
- Blacks out past about 60 degrees
- Fitting
- Magnetic or removable tabs
- Bonus
- Anti glare coating
Cross cut paper shredder
Most identity theft I hear about locally did not start online, it started with mail sitting in a recycling bin. Anything with an account number on it goes in here. Get a cross cut one, because the cheap strip cut kind can be pieced back together.
- Cut
- Cross cut, never strip cut
- Capacity
- 6 sheets or more at once
- Slots
- One for credit cards
- Safety
- Auto stop when the bin is full
YubiKey 5 NFC security key
A physical key for your important accounts. Someone can steal your password and still not get in without this in their hand. Overkill for plenty of people, exactly right for anyone who has already been through a hacked account. Buy two and keep the spare somewhere safe, because losing the only one is a headache.
- Connection
- USB-A, plus tap for phones
- Works with
- Google, Microsoft, Apple, password managers
- Power
- No battery, ever
- Build
- Waterproof and crush resistant
Related reading
Think you have been hacked?
Do not wait it out. Getting to it early is the difference between a bad afternoon and a bad month. Call me.