The 5-Step Digital Security Check-Up You Should Do Today

In our busy digital lives, we often treat our online security like a smoke alarm—we set it up once and then forget about it, hoping we never have to hear from it again. But in a world of constant data breaches and sophisticated scams, a “set it and forget it” approach is no longer enough.

Good digital security isn’t a one-time task; it’s a practice of regular maintenance.

You don’t need to be a cybersecurity expert to build a strong defense. Spending just 30 minutes on a simple security check-up every few months can be one of the most effective ways to protect your digital life. Here are five crucial steps you should take today.

1. The Password Manager Audit

Using a password manager is a great first step, but its real power lies in its built-in auditing tools.

• What to do: Open your password manager (like 1Password, Bitwarden, or Dashlane) and find the “Security Health,” “Watchtower,” or “Dashboard” section. Run a scan. This tool will instantly identify any passwords that are weak, have been reused across multiple sites, or have appeared in known data breaches.
• Why it matters: This allows you to methodically work through the list and change your most vulnerable passwords first, patching the biggest holes in your security without feeling overwhelmed.

2. The App Permission Purge

We often grant apps access to our phone’s most sensitive hardware—the camera, microphone, and location—and then forget about it. It’s time to review those permissions.

• What to do:
  • On iPhone, go to Settings > Privacy & Security. Tap on “Microphone,” “Camera,” and “Location Services” one by one. You’ll see a list of every app that has requested access. If you see an app that has no business accessing your camera or location, revoke its permission.
  • On Android, go to Settings > Security & privacy > Privacy > Permission manager. This gives you the same categorized view.
• Why it matters: This prevents apps from collecting data they don’t need and protects you from potential misuse if one of those services is ever compromised.

3. The Social Media & Email Lockdown

Have you ever logged into your Google or Facebook account from a friend’s computer or a public terminal and forgotten to log out? It’s time to check who is currently logged into your accounts.

• What to do:
  • For Google, go to your Google Account settings, find the “Security” tab, and look for the section called “Your devices.” This will show every phone, computer, and TV currently logged into your account. If you see a device you don’t recognize or no longer use, click on it and select “Sign out.”
  • Do the same for your critical social media accounts like Facebook and X (formerly Twitter), which have similar sections in their security settings.
• Why it matters: This ensures that old, forgotten sessions can’t be used by someone else to access your account without your knowledge.

4. The Data Broker Opt-Out

Your personal information, like your home address and phone number, is being legally sold online by dozens of “people-search” websites and data brokers. You need to periodically remove it.

• What to do: While you can opt out from these sites manually, it’s a tedious process. This is a good time to run a scan using a data removal service like DeleteMe or Optery. These services will show you where your information is exposed and handle the removal requests for you.
• Why it matters: Reducing your public data footprint makes you a much harder target for scammers, spammers, and anyone trying to find your personal information online.

5. The Account Recovery Review

What happens if you do get locked out of an important account? Your recovery phone number and email are your last line of defense. Are they up to date?

• What to do: Go into the security settings for your most critical accounts—your primary Google/Apple ID, your main email, and your bank. Double-check that the recovery phone number and secondary email address listed are still ones you have access to.
• Why it matters: If you ever forget your password or get hacked, having an up-to-date recovery method is the only thing that will allow you to quickly and easily reclaim control of your account.

Completing this 5-step check-up is a powerful way to take back control of your digital security. Make it a habit to run through this list every few months—it’s one of the smartest investments of time you can make.