Twitch, an Amazon-owned game-streaming company, suffered a significant data breach this past week. It’s unknown how much data was exposed to hackers, but there has been significant internal company data posted online so far. For being one of the internet’s most dominant companies, it’s disappointing to hear that Amazon was unable to prevent such a hack.
To that end, we’ve compiled a list of sources available to you to help keep your personal data safe, and how to keep your Amazon business safe from counterfeit products and hijackers.
Protecting Data
Use strong passwords
If you recognize your password from any of these lists, change it immediately. Your account could be hacked instantly by anyone who had the energy to try. Other common passwords to avoid include:
- Usernames
- Birthdates
- Emails
- Phone numbers
The final type of password to avoid? Whichever one you use over and over. Using the same password on every site you go to, no matter how complicated, will eventually be discovered. All it takes is one of those hundreds of websites you’ve made a profile on to get hacked, then that same hacker can test any of those usernames and passwords anywhere else with the touch of a button.
If Twitch passwords were exposed, and you use the same password for Twitch and your email account, a hacker now has access to your email. With that access, they can request a password change for any site they want: your bank, credit card, or Amazon account
A password manager is a simple way to keep everything organized (and if you choose one with enterprise options, it can help get your whole team using one as well). They can generate random passwords, store, and autofill them. If there is a hack, changing passwords is quick and easy. Just make sure you choose a strong, but memorable password for your manager. Keep it secret, keep it safe.
Use Two-Factor Authentication
It can feel tedious, but this is the most guaranteed to keep an unwanted person out of your account. In our scenario from the last paragraph, if someone does get your password, they would still need physical access to your phone to log in on a new device.
Protecting Products and Brands
Nothing will immediately fix a counterfeit or hijacking issue, but taking these steps will offer a few measures of protection, and can significantly reduce problems before they happen.
Trademark your brands and products
Having a trademark provides immediate protection without taking as much effort as something like a patent. It is the first in a number of steps Amazon allows you to take to provide further protection, but it’s also just sound business to do it anyway.
If anyone creates a duplicate of your product, a trademark gives you the legal right to force them to stop them. That’s not an option without a trademark.
Most of the following tips involve getting trademarked as well, so if you haven’t done it already, you should seriously investigate it.
Enroll in Amazon Brand Registry
The Brand Registry doesn’t provide as much protection as some would like, but it does prevent small abuses by making it harder for other sellers to change your listings. It’s easier to see who is selling your products, and it’s easier to report infringement issues.
In addition to protection, it does include some extra selling benefits as well, such as extra advertising features, and A+ content.
Enroll in Transparency
Amazon has begun offering heightened tracking services, all the way from manufacturer to the customer. It takes a lot more work, but allows brands to keep better track of who exactly is selling authorized products, and can allow customers to verify for themselves they’ve received an authentic product.
Enroll in Project Zero
Want Amazon’s most proactive service? Through their Transparency program, you can order unique barcodes for your products. Amazon will use the data from your barcodes, along with other information such as your logos and trademarks, to continuously scan their database for cases of counterfeits. You are allowed to take action against counterfeit products, without needing to get as much approval from Amazon.
