In the News
How common is your password? In The UK’s latest list of most hacked passwords is as bad as you’d think, Zack Whittaker at TechCrunch discusses some of the most commonly used passwords and thus the passwords most vulnerable to cybercrime identified by a UK government report. Whittaker explains that the password ‘123456’ is the most frequently used password that is hacked by cybercriminals. Whittaker emphasizes the importance of creating stronger passwords and refraining from reusing passwords as a line of defense against cybercrime.
Our Take
The unfortunate reality of frequent password re-use and the general use of simple passwords threatens the privacy and security of all involved. Creating unique and complex passwords for every account can seem like a daunting and potentially meaningless task, but doing so will significantly reduce the risk of your account being hacked and your information being exposed. Using a common password such as ‘123456’ allows a malicious attacker to access your account not only through credential stuffing schemes if you have reused that password before but also because so many other individuals use the same passwords. Hackers try to access your information with minimal effort if they can, and because so many people use this password, your account can easily be breached. When creating a password, always think about if someone else might be using it…if the answer is yes, add some more characters to the password to increase your account security.
Recommendations
How can you secure and organize your passwords?
- Consider investing in a more complex password manager to increase your password security and strength
- Use safe password practices, and take advantage of Multi-factor Authentication where possible
- Change your passwords periodically
- Stay up to date on recent data breaches and exposures to see if you have been impacted