I lost my 40+k dollars that I was holding on my exchange. I've done everything possible to prevent it to happen. It's very hard for me now. Don't worry and just donate a bunch of your BTC to my address.
Hah. Don't worry. I'm ok. Just a clickbait title cause I suck
I've just read other forums and have seen videos with more or less similar content. Everyone of those hacks had one security leak that attackers could easily took advantage of.
They blame it on exchange
I'm not excluding the possibility that money taken could be an inside job but I will start blaming exchange after i've excluded every other thing that could cause this. Especially the big ones. Why do I think that? Why would they make a bad name for themself when owning a gold mine that's making them money with every transaction anyone makes?
My Panic Pack. For free!
Here are my ultimate pesimist tips that you will see only here. Some of them you migth find as overkill. As always in crypto ... it's up to you if you want to use any of them.
Be aware
Every time you are connected to the internet your computer is compromised. If you're not in the hacking business then you don't even know what security risk can be hidding in the system. Even if you are, there's always someone who knows more than you do. Even if your antivirus says that your computer is clean it doesn't mean it actually is. If you're working on Mac or Linux you can also get a virus. Even your phone is at risk. One of the biggest if you ask me.
Minimize number of devices, maximize security
When going on exchange try to minimize number of devices you're connecting with. If you are connecting with one device, you are at risk, if connecting with two, the risk you are in is double. Always prefer PC over phone. If you do use phone, make a security gesture or code or fingerprint unlocking so it's not so easy to break. It only takes couple of minutes for someone to install spyware on your phone. Don't make it easy for him.
If you can, avoid public computer such as the ones in libraries. I know it can be tempting to see those charts going up but try to keep it in your pants. Your wallet you pervert.
Spyware
Try not to fall to this oldest trick in the book because your IP was selected to win an Iphone or "Your Flash need to be updated" trick. And there is no penis 3x enlargement trick! If you just happen to download file from unknown source don't even try to excecute it. Just delete it and forever forget about it. The best thing is to work on fresh installation of operating system with only all the necessary app that you need. Even try to kill some of those unknown processes running in the background just to be on the safe side.
Bookmarks
Did you know if you use Google to find an exchange a lot of times first link it finds will be phishing site? Try to avoid googling and simply manualy put in the proper address. When you are sure you have the right address, put it in your bookmarks and use the bookmark from that point on.
If you don't know the right address, go to https://coinmarketcap.com, pick a desired coin, click Markets tab, click on desired exchange and there you'll have the link. That's pretty save way to get the addres I guess. Unless somebody decides to hack Coin Market Cap... Then you're screwed. Hahaha (evil laughter).
Login Like A Ninja
When logging in exchange you never know who is watching. You might have spyware and you don't even realize. Let's say your password is "Crazychicken". If you just confuse your potential attackers, you've made a big thing. Just leave some letters in your password and type them in te end. So you can just type "chicken", click on the start of the password input and then type "Crazy". In that way potential attackers will think you typed "chickenCrazy" and they won't be able to login.
Password
Make password as complex as possible yet not so complex for you to forget them. Here is a one not so hard to remember:
"MyGrandaLikesHisYogaPants#Yoga4Ever"
If I ever decide to register to register to Yobit, I'll might just use this one. Just because I get Yobit assosiates me with Yoga pants. If I decide registering on Binance I'll just repace Yoga pants with Bikini. That's how easy it is to make new password. Almost as easy as Pamela in the 90's. Ok, that's another story...
Two Factor Authentication
Lacking 2FA is probably one of the biggest flaw attackers take advantage of. It's just a must. If you're using it with Google Authenticator, try to type it just when it's about to change. That way you maybe avoid someone else using it from some other address.
IP whitelisting
Exchanges allow you to allow trade and withdraw from only particular IP address. To enable that it is good to have a static IP address. If you don't know how to set it up you can always contact your ISP. After obtaining static IP, you can go to a site such as http://whatismyipaddress.com/ and copy it into exchange's whitelist.
Withdrawal whitelisting
Locking withdrawals to only perticular addresses and only to perticular currencies can always be a good thing. Right?
APIs
It's hard to trust 3rd party apps to use your account and access your money. I will probably never recommend to use them, but if you are still stuburn to use them do what you can to protect even those.
If you've got any more panic (necessary) precaution about protecting your exchange account, share it in comments bellow and I'll add them in the list. Let's make this one a security bible for everyone! Don't forget to share this post with your always-too-smart-to-use-protection friends. Are you thinking about condoms right now? No? Ok.