Why should you treat your passwords like your underwear? It's an odd comparison, but it's simple really: You wouldn't leave your Y-Fronts lying around for just anyone to find. You certainly shouldn't share them with others!
The fact is, cybercriminals know that passwords are the weak link. That's why they are a top target for hackers. It works. Stolen credentials are the top cited action involved in security breaches.
PREVENTS USE OF SAVED PASSWORDS
If you lose or change computers, it is possible for someone else to gain access to your passwords. Regularly updating your passwords means that even if someone finds an old or saved password, it will no longer be useful, and your data will be secure.
People tend to use the same password to protect many online accounts. Some users even use the same password to secure their personal and work accounts. If a hacker successfully compromises a frequently used password, they can gain broad access to all the resources the password protects.
They protect your electronic accounts and devices from unauthorized access, keeping your sensitive personal information safe. The more complex the password, the more protected your information will be from cyber threats and hackers.
Login details are needed for account takeover
Criminals use stolen login credentials to break into accounts with payment details, such as shopping accounts. This is called account takeover, and it often leads to identity theft. If the hacker changes your password, you will also lose access to your account.
Tips for creating strong passwords
A strong password is one that's easy for you to remember but difficult for others to guess. Let's take a look at some of the most important things to consider when creating a password. Never use personal information such as your name, birthday, user name, or email address.
If an attacker has a username (or list of usernames) but no passwords, he can still guess from a list of the most commonly used passwords (e.g. 12345, abc123, qwerty) in a technique called password spraying.
It is unhealthy, and could potentially become abuse. Even though many people think of abuse as physical violence, it can actually be any pattern of behavior designed to gain power and control in a relationship. Insisting on having a partner's passwords is actually a red flag for abuse.
The most insecure passwords to use across all countries and populations is“123456” and “password” — two of the most obvious, easiest-to-guess patterns which meet the minimum 6 to 8 character password length requirement that most websites have.
After Discovering You've Opened Malware or You've Been Phished. Changing your passwords may not mitigate all the damage from malware or a successful phishing expedition. Still, it can keep future attackers or scammers from accessing your accounts or impersonating you further.
Forgetting Your Most Used Passwords
It might be due to dyslexia or amnesia. One of these is related to a condition called short-term memory loss, in which a person has difficulty remembering things and often forgets what they are thinking about. Sometimes it can happen due to anxiety or depression.
Our survey results indicate that nearly one-third (31.3%) of respondents change their passwords one to two times per year. Just over one-fifth (22.4%) change their passwords more than five times per year, and 17% change their passwords every few months, or approximately three to four times per year.
Reusing the same passwords for multiple accounts is bad practice because it opens you up to credential stuffing attacks, which take leaked credentials from one site/service and use them on other sites/services. It's as if you had multiple houses and used the same lock and key for all of them.
Password stress is stress caused by from mistyping passwords, forgetting passwords, and the stressful process of resetting passwords. The problem is that good security means unique usernames and passwords that are both long and complex (high entropy).
The average person reuses each password as many as 14 times. 72% of individuals reuse passwords in their personal life while nearly half (49%) of employees simply change or add a digit or character to their password when updating their company password every 90 days.
Can hackers watch through your camera? If a hacker installs spyware on your phone then there is a good chance they will be able to access your camera and turn it on/off as they please. They may also be able to access any photos or videos you have previously taken.
Often, hackers use an automated system to quickly attempt multiple permutations. In the TransUnion case, the password didn't take long to crack — it was set to “password.” Once hackers gain access, they can lock you out of your accounts, steal personal data, and use the information for various types of identity theft.
Thus, they remain the worst passwords you can set for your online accounts. Examples of ill-conceived passwords include 123456, password, and qwerty, which is the set of the first 6 alphabets on a laptop or smartphone keyboard. Some other styles of similar patterned passwords include 123456789, 111111, and 1q2w3e.
Unfortunately, some attackers want to steal your data just to prove that they can. They are not motivated by monetary gain, access to free resources or the ability to steal your users' identities. They simply want to prove to themselves – and their hacker friends, perhaps – that they can break past your defenses.
Hackers can target literally anybody, and if you think your data wouldn't be of much use, think again. Hackers can use your data in so many different ways, and nobody is ever completely safe. Here's how hackers steal your personal information and why they do it.
Most hackers are on the lookout for one thing: money. They may not be hunting for it directly, but that is typically the end goal of most hackers, except state-sponsored hackers that are after secret information. Bearing in mind this goal, hackers will target someone they think or know has money.