In 2020, 81% of online security breaches were due to weak passwords.
A weak password can get you compromised even with your most sensitive information. These warning signs will tell you if your passwords need improvement.
You’ll never have to worry about getting hacked again when you use strong, unique passwords for all of your accounts and devices!
Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about common password mistakes.
1. You Have the Same Password for Multiple Sites
When you have one password to unlock all of your accounts, it’s only a matter of time until someone cracks your password and gains access to everything on your Google Drive account.
You should always use different passwords for every single website or service that requires an account on your part. That way, if one of your passwords gets compromised, the rest of your accounts are still safe.
Why Is This Bad?
If someone gains access to your email account, they can easily reset the passwords for all of your other accounts by using the “forgot password” function.
2. Your Password Is Easily Guessed
Your password should be something that is both easy for you to remember and difficult for others to guess. The purpose of the password is to act as a barrier between you and potential hackers.
If people who know you can guess your password, it’s not doing its job.
For example, a password like “password” or “1234” is not a good idea. This would be easy for someone to guess if they tried.
Why Is This Bad?
If your password is easily guessed, it puts your account at risk of getting hacked. A hacker can try different combinations of words until they find the right one. For instance, “password” is a common password. With some luck, a hacker can guess it on the first try.
Some websites make this easier by restricting the number of unsuccessful login attempts you have before they ban your IP address entirely. This makes it harder for hackers to crack your password, but if someone guesses your password correctly, that’s still all it takes to get into your account.
3. Your Password Is Short and Simple
A password that is short and simple can be easily guessed by hackers. For example, “password” is only 4 letters long and has no special characters. Adding special characters to your password makes it more difficult for hackers to guess.
Why Is This Bad?
Short passwords make it very easy for hackers to crack your password. A longer password with a combination of lowercase and uppercase letters as well as numbers and symbols will make it more difficult for hackers to guess your password.
4. Your Password Is an Incomplete Word or Phrase
When you use an incomplete word or phrase as your password, you’re allowing hackers an easy way to crack your password. For example, a password like “Period” is too short and simple and can get cracked very easily.
Why Is This Bad?
Using incomplete words or phrases makes it easy for hackers to guess your password. A longer password with a combination of lowercase and uppercase letters as well as numbers and symbols will make it more difficult for hackers to guess your password.
5. You Use Your Username or First Name As Your Password
This is one of the biggest signs of a weak password. You should never use your username or first name as your password because it is very easy for others to figure out what your password is by looking at it.
Why Is This Bad?
Using your name as your password is the same as posting it for everyone to see. It makes it very easy for hackers to crack your password without doing any extra work. A longer password with a combination of lowercase and uppercase letters as well as numbers and symbols will make it more difficult for hackers to guess your password.
How To Pick A Strong Password
A strong password consists of a combination of lowercase, uppercase, numbers, and symbols. For example, “password” is way too easy to guess by hackers.
Instead of using your name as your password, use the first letter of each word in your full name or favorite quote.
For instance, “hannah2smth!” is better than “hannahsm!” because it’s harder for hackers to guess.
Another good idea is to use the first letter of every word in a sentence and mash them together. For example: “I love my cat” would equal “ilmca!”.
Don’t make your password too long, though; no one wants to have to remember a sentence of 20 characters!
When To Change A Password
You should change your passwords every few months to help keep your accounts safe. If you get news of a security breach at another site, you will need to change all of your account information again (and it is good practice to change all of your passwords).
If somebody has gotten access to one of your online accounts before and has created a bot to try to log in with your username and password, you will need to change your password immediately.
Here are the most common scenarios when you should change your password:
- Your account gets compromised
- A breach occurs at a company that you have an account with
- You receive a suspicious email or text asking for your login information
Keeping Your Information Secure
You can keep your accounts safe by using a different password on every single website. This way, if one of your passwords gets exposed, the rest of your information is still safe.
You can also use a password manager to keep all of your passwords in one place. This is a good option if you have trouble remembering multiple passwords. A password manager will create strong passwords for you and store them in a secure place.
If you are using the same password for multiple accounts, you should change your passwords immediately.
Start Avoiding Weak Passwords Today
It is always a good idea to avoid weak passwords to protect your information.
By following these tips, you can create passwords that are difficult for hackers to crack. If you are ever concerned about the security of your account, you should change your password immediately.
Remember to keep your computer and software up-to-date with the latest security patches to help keep your information safe. When you’re ready to learn more, contact our expert team!
