Q: What is digital death?
A: Digital death is when you lose control of your online identity, such as when your identity is stolen. Your ID, passwords, and personal information can be stolen directly or bought for just a few dollars on black market sites.

Q: Is there a way to recover from this kind of identity theft?
A: You can recover from digital death, but it can cost thousands of dollars. The good and bad news is that you can die a digital death multiple times in the cyber world. If your identity and information is stolen once, and soon as you recover from that incident, it can happen again.

Q: Wow, that is very scary! What can the average person do to try to protect themselves?
A: Besides having basic security tools, such as antivirus software, malware detection, and other basic protection, have strong passwords and two-factor authentication. Here is a tip most people might not think of: create a false persona. Many sites ask users to fill in answers to personal questions like “What was the name of the street where you first lived,” or “What is your favorite snack.” Sites are constantly getting hacked, so your information is exposed. To fight back, protect your identity by developing a false persona for answering these questions. Make up a consistent story and set of answers that you will remember for answering these questions, so you can protect your real identity.

Contact LIFARS at 212.222.7061 or info@lifars.com to learn more about how to protect your personal identity as well as your company’s assets and
intellectual capital.