Cybersecurity and Investing

When it comes to your money, you want to be certain that it's safe and secure. Today, most investors manage their portfolios digitally. Although this is convenient in our current digital landscape, it can open doors for bad actors and requires additional safety measures. When it seems like there's always some type of cyberbreach in the news, it might make you wonder how you can be sure that your funds are protected. How can you trust that your money is safe?

Protecting Your Investments

Your brokerage knows how important it is to protect your investments. For this reason, many security measures are in place to ensure that your funds are as safe as possible. These measures can include data encryption for keeping your personal data confidential, two-factor authentication to confirm that you're the only person accessing your account, fraud monitoring to oversee potentially suspicious activity, and insurance protection just in case anything was to happen to the funds in your portfolio.

With so many layers of security, your investments are as protected as they can be. While there's no way to guarantee that there will never be a possibility of an account breach, the safety measures in place provide you with a secure way to store your funds and invest in your portfolio.

Cyber Risks

Of course, it's crucial to know the risks of online investing so you know what to look out for. Always be on the lookout for suspicious emails or messages, as phishing scams are common and attempt to trick you into providing your personal information to someone with poor intentions. If you come across an email or message asking you to log into your account, enter payment information, or type in your social security number, double check the sender information and verify that the email is from a reputable sender. If you're unsure, be certain that you avoid clicking on any links, and go directly to your account to check for suspicious activity. Additionally, it can be beneficial to have antivirus software installed on your computer, as malware can be hidden in places you'd least expect and compromise your devices. You should also try to avoid accessing sensitive information on public wi-fi, as insecure networks can be intercepted by hackers. If possible, using a VPN can help encrypt your internet connection if you do need to access personal data in a public place. Staying vigilant for common theft tactics can protect you from falling victim to one of these schemes. On a regular basis, you should review your accounts and make sure that there's no suspicious activity to report. If there is, frequent monitoring can help you quickly solve any issue and ideally prevent any major losses. Lastly, try to stay up to date on any new schemes or threats, as there are always new scams circulating to try and gain access to your private accounts.

The bottom line is that while online investing is the norm and security measures are in place to help prevent potential loss, you always need to do your part in protecting your assets. Staying knowledgeable about threats can help you do this, so you can rest easy knowing that not only is your brokerage working hard to protect your portfolio, but you're doing your part as well.

Webull Financial LLC (member SIPC, FINRA) offers self-directed securities trading. All investments involve risk. Index Option Contract Fees, Regulatory Fees, Exchange Fees and other Fees may apply. More info: https://www.webull.com/disclosures