In case you were wondering if you can get away with not changing your password, the news isn’t great. SplashData recently released their list of 2015’s most popular passwords, with “123456″ and “password” still holding the top two slots, again. We recommend checking it out for a free lesson on how to NOT create a password. Why does this keep happening? It’s a combination of fear of forgetting new passwords, laziness, and a false sense of security from seeing “123456” turn into “******”.
What are the risks of my password getting stolen?
Not to scare you, but once cybercriminals have your password there is nothing to stop them from hacking your devices, using them for malicious purposes, and accessing your personal information. In a recent poll of WOT users, identity theft was voted as the biggest online threat. We’d love to hear your vote as well!
According to Edward Snowden in his interview with John Oliver, passwords are a thing of the past if you don’t want to be hacked by clever malware, hackers, or governments. What’s in? Passphrases. Instead of choosing a cleverly misspelled word with a number after it, think of unlikely phrases that wouldn’t appear in most cybercriminal’s heads, dictionaries or password generators. His example: margaretthatcheris110%SEXY. (While we applaud his creativity, we recommend not using this specific password now it’s out there.)
Strong password tips:
- Make your password long, and meaningful only to you.
- Avoid using the same password for multiple accounts.
- Whenever possible, utilize 2-step verification as an added layer of protection.
Our challenge to you:
Change your password NOW, before closing this blog. Share this with your friends and urge them to follow through with a password change. Changing human behavior isn’t easy, and that’s what makes it so simple for cybercriminals and online scam artists, year after year, to exploit the human weaknesses in technology. Take this opportunity to change your password and upgrade your personal online security.
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