As the new year gradually kicks into gear it's a great time to look at new ways of doing things. And one of the most important is online security.

Sure, you can spend a lot of money on a security suite, but taking a basic, common sense approach to security can save you a lot of headaches, and dollars.

With that in mind we've put together three ways you can increase your digital domains in 2014.

1: Two-step verification

Two-step verification that, as the name suggests, requires two forms of identification before allowing you to login. For example, instead of asking for a password, it will require an additional step such as a code sent as a text to a mobile phone.

This simple step dramatically reduces the chances of being hacked, and the good news is that all the major players including Google, Facebook, Twitter and Microsoft now offer the service. 

2: S means secure

When performing any kind of financial transaction ensure the website URL reads “https” instead of the usual “http”. This ensues the website is encrypted, which is especially important when conducting business on-the-go from public Wi-Fi. 

It's a good idea to also install HTTPS Everywhere, a plug-in for Chrome, Firefox and Opera that encrypts your communications with major websites.  

3: Password protect

It's hard to believe but the three most popular passwords are still “123456”, the slightly more complex “123456789” and the good old “password”.

Considering Adobe recently experienced a security breach that affected 38 million customers, changing your password to something more cryptic is an easy win.

Use longer passwords, ideally at least eight characters long, and avoid words and names. It's also a good idea to use numbers and characters but try to mix it up a bit, you're not going to be hacker proof by changing your password to “password1”. 

And it goes without saying, tempting as it may be don't use the same password for everything. Password managers like LastPass can help you keep on top of things. 

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