While Monday’s 4.4. magnitude earthquake rattled the nerves of millions of people in Southern California, damage was thankfully minimal.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake struck at 12:20 p.m. about 2.5 miles south of Highland Park and just west of Pasadena, where city officials said the historic city hall building sustained a broken pipe.

Water was seen cascading off the City Hall’s roof as people evacuated the building. Employees were eventually allowed back into the building just over an hour after the quake initially struck, the City of Pasadena said.

Pasadena Fire Department crews surveyed the city and found no additional damage other than the burst pipe.

There were no reports of damage or injuries elsewhere in SoCal immediately following the earthquake.

Even if you’re using strong unique passwords, there’s still a chance a hacker could trick you into sharing one of them or a data breach could expose them.

That’s why you need to enable two-factor authentication on your most important online accounts, including email, financial and social media.

Follow Tech Reporter Rich DeMuro for more tech news, tips and reviews.

“I think we all have the tools, I don’t know if we all know how to use them as best as we can be,” said Thorin Klosowski, a privacy and security activist at the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

“I do a lot of our how-to guides guiding people towards best practices and security and privacy and making sure that you are as safe online as you can be,” explained Klosowski.

To protect yourself, there are a few important things you can do.

One of the top recommendations for keeping your accounts, and data, secure is to use a complex, unique password for every website.

Apple is set to make this process easier with the introduction of a dedicated Passwords app in iOS 18.

“Hopefully it’ll get more people using them,” said Klosowski.

On Android, you can use Google Password Manager or a third-party app like Bitwarden, which is free.

But the second key thing to do is turn on two-factor authentication.

“It’s a little like odd to get used to, but it is very helpful even if you are using unique passwords everywhere,” said Klosowski.

So even if someone got your password, they would still need to enter a secondary, randomly generated code before they could login.

This is often texted to your phone, but the most secure option is to use a two-factor app.

Duo Mobile and 2FAS are popular options. Google and Microsoft also make two-factor apps.

“Right now two-factor authentication is one of the best things we have to protect our accounts,” said Klosowski.

If your password is the door handle, two factor is a deadbolt for your accounts.

It might take a bit to set up and it might make logging in take a tiny bit longer, but it’s all worth the extra protection.

A man is recovering after being brutally attacked and robbed earlier this month in downtown Los Angeles by a mob of young people on bicycles.  

The Aug. 2 assault, according to the victim, Shailoobek Bazarbai Uulu, happened while he was stopped at a redlight at the intersection of Olympic Boulevard and Hope Street.  

Uulu said a group of teens on bicycles pulled in front of his vehicle and when the light turned green, he attempted to pass them.  

“When I was passing, one of them threw a bottle of water in my car,” he explained. “So, I don’t know what happened.”  

As he pulled over and got out of his car, he said the group of roughly 30 teens surrounded him, with the situation turning violent very quickly.  

Footage of the incident was captured by a witness who happened to walk up on the mob as they assaulted Uulu, stole items, including his backpack and wallet, out of the vehicle, shattered the windows and stomped on the hood and trunk of his car.  

“This is what L.A. has come to,” the man filming the incident can be heard saying. “Dog, I’m not even playing. I literally just parked. These kids are wild, not older than 20.”  

In the video, Uulu is seen barefoot, limping as he’s pushed and punched in the back of the head by several of the teens.  

He sustained a broken leg, along with deep cuts and lacerations all over his body after getting kicked and punched while on the ground. The injury to his leg, he said, will require surgery.

“Suddenly, someone pulled me out and she literally saved my life,” he told KTLA’s Carlos Saucedo. “It was a young lady, take me aside and hug me.”  

At least a few adults, including the man filming the incident, are seen in the video attempting to stop the attack and get the teens to leave the area where traffic was backed up as a result of the violent brawl.  

Uulu said he’d been planning on moving, which is why many of his belongings were in his car, much of which is now gone, including documents, cash and credit cards.  

The victim insists he did nothing to provoke the attack, but in the video, one of the teens can be heard telling the man filming that Uulu cut them off with his car, nearly hitting them.

When the police did arrive, the teens had all fled the area. The victim was then taken to the hospital where he learned the extent of his injuries.  

“It’s a been a week and no one has been arrested,” he said. “They stole my bank cards, and they even tried to use it a few days later.”  

In addition to the lost property, his vehicle was badly damaged, with Uulu saying it was estimated to be $20,000 worth of repairs needed.  

“I am alone here and never thought that I could find myself in such a situation,” he said.  

A GoFundMe has been organized to help him recover from the losses.  

Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact LAPD’s Central Station 213-486-6606. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call the L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-222-8477 or leave tips online at www.lacrimestoppers.org.