VANCOUVER -- You probably made some resolutions about your health this New Year’s – to quit smoking, drinking or get in shape. But what about your online health? It’s a perfect time to make some changes to protect yourself from identity theft.

Jerry Harris learned his lesson the hard way. He’s a small business owner who runs a dog-walking service and recently opened a concerning email that had found its way into his inbox.

“I received an email from Facebook,” he says. “It identified that my account had been locked out.”

His business’ Facebook page had been compromised after a hacker gained access and changed the login. And that’s impacted his work.

“The biggest problem, of course, is that I can no longer control my own business Facebook page,” Harris says, adding he feels helpless – like an outsider looking in on his own business.

Thomas Germain, a Consumer Reports tech editor, says Harris isn’t the only one.

“The good news is there’s lots of easy steps you can take, and the new year is a great opportunity to give yourself a fresh start.”

First, Consumer Reports recommends setting up two-factor authentication, something you might already use with online banking or other more secure sites.

“Two-factor authentication is an extra layer of protection,” Germain says. “The idea here is if someone gets a hold of your password, they’ll need another piece of information.”

Next, guard against phishing – that’s when hackers try to get you to give up information about yourself that could help them steal your identity.

“Avoid clicking on links in texts or emails,” Germain recommends. “Especially if there’s something about the message that seems suspicious.”

And finally, it’s nearly impossible to remember every password, but there’s an easy solution: use a password manager.

As for Harris, he plans on setting up a new, more secure Facebook page for his dog-walking business.

“I don’t know how they hacked me,” he says. “But the reality is, had I put better safeguards in place, it wouldn’t have happened.”

With files from Consumer Reports