A Guide for the average user to protect their online accounts and data
In today’s digital world, passwords are the keys to our online accounts and data. They are essential for accessing our email, social media, banking, shopping, and other services. However, many people struggle with creating and managing safe and secure passwords that can prevent hackers and cybercriminals from stealing their information. In this blog post, we will share some tips and best practices on how to create and manage safe and secure passwords that can protect your online identity and privacy.
Why are safe and secure passwords important?
Passwords are the first line of defense against unauthorized access to your online accounts and data. If your passwords are weak, easy to guess, or reused across multiple sites, you are putting yourself at risk of identity theft, fraud, phishing, malware, and other cyberattacks. According to a report by Verizon 81% of hacking-related breaches in 2023 involved weak or stolen passwords. Therefore, it is crucial to have strong and unique passwords for each of your online accounts and to change them regularly.
What makes a password safe and secure?
A safe and secure password is one that is hard to crack by hackers and cybercriminals. It should meet the following criteria:
- It should be at least 12 characters long. The longer the password, the harder it is to guess or brute-force.
- It should include a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. The more diverse the password, the harder it is to crack.
- It should not contain any personal information, such as your name, birthday, address, phone number, or pet’s name. These are easy to find online or through social engineering.
- It should not contain any common words, phrases, or patterns, such as password, 123456, qwerty, or abcdef. These are often used by hackers and cybercriminals as part of their dictionary attacks.
- It should be unique for each of your online accounts. If you reuse the same password across multiple sites, you are exposing yourself to a domino effect. If one of your accounts gets compromised, the hacker can use the same password to access your other accounts.
How to create and manage safe and secure passwords?
Creating and managing safe and secure passwords can be challenging, especially if you have many online accounts and services. However, there are some tools and techniques that can hep you simplify the process to improve your password hygiene. Here are some of them:
- Use a password generator. A password generator is a tool that can create random and complex passwords for you based on your preferences and requirements. You can use online password generators, such as LastPass or Keeper, or offline password generators, to generate safe and secure passwords for your online accounts.
- Use a password manager. A password manager is a tool that can store and manage your passwords in a secure and encrypted vault. You only need to remember one master password to access your password manager, and it can automatically fill in your passwords for you when you log in to your online accounts. You can use online password managers, such as Keeper or LastPass, or offline password managers, to store and manger you passwords.
- Use two-factor authentication. Two-factor authentication is a feature that adds an extra layer of security to your online accounts. It requires you to enter a code or a token, in addition to your password, when you log in to your online accounts. The code or token can be sent to your phone, email, or an app, such as Duo, and it can prevent hackers and cybercriminals from accessing your accounts even if they have your password. You can enable two-factor authentication for your online accounts that support it, such as your bank, email, or Microsoft suite online log ins.
Conclusion
Passwords are the keys to your online accounts and data and they should be treated with care and respect. By following the tips and best practices in this blog post, you can create and manage safe and secure passwords that can protect your online identity and privacy. Remember, a safe and secure password is one that is long, diverse, random, unique and protected by two factor authentication. Stay safe and secure online!
