Security for my Mom: Guide to Hacker Im-proofing

Everything I Taught My Mom About Cybersecurity

hacker-cat-yellow-headphones.png

🗺️ Series: Overview (current page) • Part 1: Recognizing Scams → • Part 2: Essential Tools → • Part 3: Network Security → • Part 4: Daily Habits →

⚠️ Disclaimer

I’m not a certified security professional or lawyer. I’m just sharing my experience and security habits - things I try to follow myself and urge my mom to practice as well. This is not a professional security consultation, nor a legal advice. Your situation may differ. When in doubt, consult with qualified paid professionals.

In light of recent news with major data breaches (Equifax, Capital One, T-Mobile, and countless others), I’ve been asked by several non-tech friends and family members (Love you, Mom!) for advice on how to avoid getting hacked.

This guide is what I personally do and what I suggest to my family. These aren’t theoretical best practices from a security textbook - they’re the actual steps I take to protect myself.

🎯 Golden Rule

If something sounds too good to be true, it probably, most likely, definitely - is.

The Complete Security for Humans Series

I broke down what I taught my mom into 4 parts. Here’s what we covered:

Part 1: Recognizing Scams & Social Engineering

The first thing I taught her: the human element is the weakest link. We went through how to spot phishing, phone scams, and social engineering attacks.

What’s in this part:

→ Read Part 1: Recognizing Scams

Part 2: Essential Security Tools

I told Mom that two tools would handle most of her security worries: password managers and two-factor authentication. This is what made the biggest difference for her.

What’s in this part:

→ Read Part 2: Essential Security Tools

Part 3: Network & Home Security

I think of the router as the front door to the house. I spent an afternoon setting up Mom’s router properly and explaining why it matters.

What’s in this part:

→ Read Part 3: Network & Home Security

Part 4: Daily Security Habits

Security isn’t a one-time thing - it’s daily habits. This part covers what I do every day and what I taught Mom to watch for.

What’s in this part:

→ Read Part 4: Daily Security Habits

The 80/20 Rule: What I Did First

When Mom said “I don’t have time for all this,” I told her to start with these 5 things. This is what made the biggest impact:

🚀 What We Did First

  1. Installed 1Password - 1Password for her, I also like Bitwarden
  2. Enabled 2FA on her email and bank - This took 10 minutes and protects everything
  3. Changed her router’s default password - Can’t believe she never did this!
  4. Taught her not to click suspicious links - When in doubt, don’t click
  5. Froze her credit - Free at all 3 bureaus, stops identity theft

Time it took: 1-2 hours How much safer she is: ~80% safer

How I Walked Mom Through This

If She Had 5 Minutes

I’d make her do the “80/20” list above - those 5 things that handle most of the risk.

If She Had 30 Minutes

I’d have her read Part 1 (Scams) and Part 2 (Essential Tools).

If She Had A Weekend

We’d go through all 4 parts together. That’s what we actually did.

What Mom Can Do Now

Part 1: Recognizing Scams

Part 2: Essential Tools

Part 3: Network Security

Part 4: Daily Habits

Real Impact: My Mom’s Story

Before:

đź’¬ What Mom Said

“I thought you were going to make this super complicated. Instead I just click the thing and it fills in the password. Why didn’t someone tell me about this years ago?! I’ve been writing passwords on sticky notes like …. like a person who raised you. So no comments.”

After (3 months):

Hacker cat looking confident

How I Approached This With Mom

Here’s how I approached it with Mom:

The “Just Make It Stop” Approach (1 Hour)

When Mom was freaking out about data breaches, I made her do three things:

  1. Install 1Password (or Bitwarden - has free hosted version and open-source self-hosted option)
  2. Enable 2FA on email
  3. Let me change her router password

That handled most of it.

Hacker cat typing on laptop

The “I Actually Want To Understand This” Approach (2-4 Hours)

This is what we ended up doing over a weekend:

  1. Read all 4 parts together
  2. I set things up while explaining why
  3. Started with Part 1: Recognizing Scams

The “Oh Crap I Think I’m Hacked” Approach (Right Now)

When I thought I got hacked, here’s what I did:

  1. Jumped straight to Part 4: What I Did When I Got Hacked
  2. Followed the emergency checklist I keep there
  3. After dealing with it, came back and read everything else

Tools & Resources I Actually Use

What I Use

Password Managers:

Security Checking:

Credit Protection:

What I Read

Official Sources:

Blogs I Follow:

Questions Mom Asked

“Is this stuff still current?” Last updated January 2025. I review this every year when I do Mom’s annual security checkup.

“I’m not good with computers. Will I understand this?” Mom said the same thing. She figured it out, and I think anyone can.

“How long did this actually take?” For the bare minimum (password manager + 2FA): about an hour. We did the full thing over a weekend - probably 3-4 hours total.

“Should I show this to Grandma?” Mom already did. I think the more people who do this, the safer we all are.

One Last Thing

Perfect security doesn’t exist - that’s simply impossible. Even the Pentagon gets hacked.

But here’s what I told Mom: you don’t need to become Fort Knox. You just need to lock your front door. It won’t stop a determined professional, but it’ll stop the amateur trying doorknobs.

That’s how Mom went from “sticky notes with password123” to having better security than most tech professionals. One thing at a time, over a few months.

Start Reading

→ Begin with Part 1: Recognizing Scams & Social Engineering

Last updated: January 31, 2025

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