When we talk about password, sometimes people do not realise how important the password is. Instead of setting up a secure and complex password, people use their first or last name, family member's names, birthdays or anniversary dates, the word 'password', special places or sequential lists of letters or numbers. Back in 2015, an American talkshow, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel conducted a "research" on the Hollywood Boulevard about the password. Here is the video.
The result is quite shocking. We can see how easily they gave their password out to a stranger. You may think that this video is outdated, but believe it or not, there are still some people out there, using the same password method or combinations.
Password security is extremely important. The most common way a hacker can break into your computer or account, will be by guessing your password. If you or your business are using weak passwords, reusing or rotating certain words or numbers, you will be at risk of getting hacked. The impacts could be catastrophic, with losing data, emails, money, images or any other important personal or private information. You could even be at risk of Identity theft.
How do I protect myself from this threat?
There are number of ways on how you can protect yourself against the password security threats.
Use a long and complex password.
Use a combination of characters, comprise more than twelve characters with a mixture of lower-case, upper-case and numbers.
Set different passwords for each accounts and devices.
Enable the 2FA (two-factor authentication) method, if this service is available.
Update your password frequently, at least every three months.
Never use your first or last name, family member's names, birthdays or anniversary dates, the word 'password', special places or sequential lists of letters or numbers.
Don't save passwords or use "remember me" on public computers.
Do not re-use your old password.
Use password manager to store your password.
If you are using Google Chrome as your browser, Google has now make it easy for everyone to manage and store password. The password manager syncs across Chrome and Android devices. In 2019, Google added an extra feature called "Password Checkup", to analyse your logins, to ensure that your password haven't been part of a massive security breach. The Password Checkup was initially built as an extension. However, the company has now built it right into Google account controls.
Other than Google "Password Checkup" feature, you can also use another site; https://haveibeenpwned.com/ to check. This site has proven to be a helpful resource in this era of constant security breaches at major companies globally.