{"id":130393,"date":"2021-10-12T16:25:29","date_gmt":"2021-10-12T23:25:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/?p=130393"},"modified":"2025-06-09T00:15:56","modified_gmt":"2025-06-09T07:15:56","slug":"dont-let-old-accounts-haunt-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/privacy-identity-protection\/dont-let-old-accounts-haunt-you\/","title":{"rendered":"Don\u2019t Let Old Accounts Haunt You: How to Maintain Your Digital Graveyard"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">What was the first online service that you signed up for? Perhaps it was your middle school email address (\u201csoccerloveR1450@hotmail.com\u201d anyone?) or your very first Tumblr or\u00a0Myspace\u00a0account. Whatever it was, it\u2019s likely that you haven\u2019t used these accounts in years \u2014 but did you ever actually delete the account?\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Over the past decade, you\u2019ve\u00a0likely collected various\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/714981\/how-to-delete-your-old-online-accounts-and-why-you-should\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">online accounts<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0that\u00a0you\u00a0no longer use. But just because you stop using an account doesn\u2019t mean that it doesn\u2019t exist\u00a0\u2014\u00a0and your data is likely still floating around on the World Wide Web.\u00a0These\u00a0old \u201czombie\u201d\u00a0accounts\u00a0haunt\u00a0your digital graveyard and\u00a0are easy pickings for\u00a0cybercriminals.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The Haunting of Accounts Past<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Today,\u00a0most\u00a0websites and apps\u00a0either require or strongly encourage\u00a0their visitors to create user accounts.\u00a0Almost always, exchanging an email address for an exclusive offer seems a fair tradeoff.\u00a0\u00a0As a result, consumers\u00a0quickly accumulate accounts, many of which they may not even remember creating.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">According to\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/digitalguardian.com\/about\/news-events\/in-the-news\/your-password-isn%E2%80%99t-safe-danger-inactive-%E2%80%98zombie%E2%80%99-account\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Digital Guardian<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\">,\u00a070% of consumers have\u00a0more than\u00a010 password-protected online accounts, and 30% have too many to\u00a0keep track of. These accounts are comprised of free trials, stores that you no longer purchase from, one-time accounts that you create to buy something, gaming platforms, and apps that you only used a few times.\u00a0While they may have once served a purpose, you no longer\u00a0need\u00a0them.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">The problem with zombie accounts is that they contain credentials at risk of exposure. Say that you sign up for a free week trial of a meal kit delivery service. When creating your account, you include information like your email address, password, phone number, delivery address, and credit card information. Once your trial expires, you decide not to sign up for a membership, but your account\u00a0information remains online. If the meal kit company is involved in a data breach, your personal data could be leaked and exploited by cybercriminals. And if you happen to reuse the same credentials across multiple accounts, a\u00a0criminal\u00a0could use credential stuffing techniques\u00a0(where\u202fthey\u202fuse email and password combinations to hack into online profiles)\u00a0to break into your other\u00a0accounts.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">How to Gain Control of Your Data <\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">So, how can you keep protect your online data and prevent a zombie account apocalypse? Follow these cybersecurity best practices to\u00a0help\u00a0keep your information secure:\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Track down and close old accounts<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Don\u2019t remember which accounts you\u00a0made and no longer use? No worries! If you\u00a0browse with\u00a0Google Chrome,\u00a0check\u00a0under chrome &gt; settings &gt; passwords.\u00a0This\u00a0will show all the accounts and passwords you\u2019ve used\u00a0and saved.\u00a0Other browsers\u00a0like\u00a0Firefox and Safari have similar settings.\u00a0If you use a password manager,\u00a0this will also keep a record of your credentials.\u00a0Once you\u2019ve identified the online accounts you no longer used (or completely forgot you had), close the account\u00a0for good! This may take some patience, as some websites require multiple steps to close an account. But it will be worth knowing that your information is safer from online exposure.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Make sure all your passwords are strong and unique<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Having a strong, unique\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/privacy-identity-protection\/what-does-your-password-say-about-your-preferences\/?hilite=%27password%27\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">password<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0for each of your online accounts helps protect them from credential stuffing.\u00a0By\u00a0using different\u202fpasswords\u202ffor your online accounts,\u202fyou can\u202ftake comfort in\u00a0knowing that\u202fthe\u202fmajority of\u00a0your data is\u202fsecure if one of\u202fyour accounts\u00a0is\u00a0vulnerable.\u202f\u202f<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Update your credentials when necessary<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">If you realize a company you buy from fell victim to a data breach, start investigating.\u00a0A tool like\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/en-us\/identity-theft\/protection.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">McAfee Identity Protection Service<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0can\u00a0help you monitor multiple email addresses\u00a0that allow you\u00a0to see if\u00a0you were impacted by a breach.\u00a0If\u00a0your credentials were potentially exposed, update\u00a0them on the company\u2019s\u00a0website immediately.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Use multifactor authentication<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/internet-security\/authentication-methods-101\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Multifactor authentication<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0is an online safety\u202fmeasure where more than one method of identity verification is needed to access\u202fthe valuable\u202finformation\u202fthat lies\u202fwithin password-protected accounts.\u202fThis can prevent a criminal from breaking into your online profile by providing an added layer of security.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Invest in protection<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/en-ca\/antivirus\/mcafee-total-protection.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">McAfee Total Protection<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0will\u00a0help\u00a0protect your personal information and privacy\u00a0and provides\u00a0identity restoration services and\u00a0invaluable peace of mind. Ninety-two percent of Canadians are concerned about the protection of their privacy and 37% are extremely concerned, reports the\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/cyber.gc.ca\/sites\/default\/files\/publications\/ncta-2020-e-web.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Canadian Centre for Cybersecurity<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.\u00a0All it takes is a few changes to your online habits and arming yourself with the right tools to feel\u00a0secure about your online presence.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What was the first online service that you signed up for? Perhaps it was your middle school email address (\u201csoccerloveR1450@hotmail.com\u201d&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":674,"featured_media":130396,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3973],"class_list":["post-130393","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-privacy-identity-protection"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Don\u2019t Let Old Accounts Haunt You: How to Maintain Your Digital Graveyard | McAfee Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What was the first online service that you signed up for? 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