Keeping your Sideline account secure

Protect your Sideline account by following the security tips below and learn what to do if you suspect it has been compromised or hacked.

Hacked vs Compromised

How to keep your account secure

What to look out for 

What to do if you think your account has been compromised

Helpful links

Hacked vs Compromised

While both terms mean an unauthorized person has gained access to your account, there's a key difference between "Hacked" and "Compromised". 

An account is considered "hacked" if a cybercriminal has used sophisticated methods to directly break into your account. However, in the vast majority of cases, online accounts are actually "compromised." This typically happens when your password has been stolen, perhaps through a phishing scam, malware, or a data breach from another website where you used the same password. 

The unauthorized person then logs in using your stolen credentials. We recommend using unique, strong passwords and enabling two-factor authentication to protect your account from being compromised.

How to keep your account secure

Create a strong password

1. Make sure that your password meets the following requirements:
   • Minimum of 12 characters.
   • At least 1 upper case letter.
   • At least 1 lower case letter.
   • At least 1 special character. (such as !?*&%@)
   • At least 1 number.
2. Create a password that cannot be easily guessed:
   • Try using a passphrase. A strong passphrase is a phrase containing at least 3 words, that is easy for you to remember but hard for someone else to guess.
   • A passphrase should also include a mix of letters, numbers, and special characters.
   • Avoid using any commonly used passwords - like names, birthdays, or common numbers, e.g. "1234".
3. Using a password manager:
   • Password managers create unique passwords and save them in one place, so you can find them easily. This feature is now built in to many devices, e.g. Apple's Passwords app.
   • Some password managers will also highlight security concerns, like reused passwords or ones that have appeared in a data leak.
   • If you decide to use one, you'll need to remember one secure password for accessing your password manager, instead of many different passwords.

Protect your password

• Never reuse the same password for multiple apps or websites.
• Don't share your password with anyone else. Please note: Our Support team will never ask you what your password is.
• Revisit and check old passwords regularly.

Keep your account information up to date

• Make sure that the registered phone number on your account is up to date and one you have access to. This is used for receiving a link to reset your password, as well as 2FA verification.
• Keep the email address on your account up to date, so that you can receive a link to reset your password if you ever forget it.

What to look out for

It's important to be aware of the signs of a compromised password, so that you can take action quickly:

• Seeing outgoing messages that you didn't send, to numbers you're not familiar with.
• Messages or conversations deleted without your knowledge.
• Changes to account information, like your registered email address, that you didn't make.
• Trouble logging in with your carrier phone number and password

What to do if you think your account has been compromised

If you think that someone else may have accessed your Sideline account, please follow these steps as soon as you can:

1. Check your email address: confirm that the email address on your account is correct, verified, and one that you have access to. If you need to change it, please visit How do I update my email address?
2. Check your registered phone number: if this is not correct, please see How do I change my registered number?
3. Reset your password:  For instructions on updating your password, please see How do I reset my password? Make sure to review the tips for creating a strong password.
4. Contact Sideline Support: After changing your password, please reach out to our Support Team and we will log all devices out from your account. This will ensure that no one can stay logged in with your old password.
5. Check passwords for other accounts: If you may have reused your old Sideline Password for any other account, make sure to update the passwords with those companies as well.

Helpful links

Tips from the CISA on choosing and protecting passwords

How do I create a good password?

Questions? Submit a request.