Your personal account passwords are like ticking time bombs, and if you are careless with them, you become an easy target for hackers and internet criminals. Yes, I agree with you that having numerous online personal accounts puts a huge burden on us when creating strong and unique passwords, which is why most of us end up using the same password repeatedly to ensure we remember it. However, in this way, we are exposing our personal accounts to many risks because with any breach, it may be easy for internet criminals to discover them.
That’s why all cybersecurity institutions and agencies urge users to set strong and complex passwords to limit the risks of them being hacked or predicted. So, you may be wondering what you should do to avoid these risks. In this article, we will summarize for you a very simple set of tips but crucial for maintaining the confidentiality of your personal data and the security of your online accounts.
1- Create a password that is as long and complex as possible
Have you heard of the term “brute force attack”? This term describes the various methods hackers use with computers to hack into your personal accounts and guess their password codes. The more complex the passwords are, the longer it takes computers to discover and hack into the accounts. Statistics show that computers used to hack into user accounts require less than a second to break the protection of a password consisting of just 3 characters or symbols.
Hackers rely on the most common and widely used passwords because they are well aware that millions of users rely on them, such as passwords like “123,” fruit names, car brands, city and country names, pets, and so on.
That’s why cybersecurity experts advise against using such types of passwords when creating a password, and the longer the better, as it becomes difficult for hackers to predict or hack them. For example, the password should not be less than 12 characters, and it’s better to include symbols and numbers, as this is the only way to make it difficult for internet criminals to predict or hack your accounts.
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2- Avoid storing passwords on paper
First, never give your passwords to anyone you know, even if you trust them. Do not write down your password on a piece of paper and stick it to the computer you use at work. Also, an important piece of advice is to try to change your passwords from time to time, especially if you have sensitive or confidential data.
3- Make the password a “phrase” that has no meaning
If you want to create a strong password that is very difficult to predict, simply choose a random phrase that is not grammatically correct, and rest assured that it will be impossible for internet criminals to crack it. However, at the same time, avoid using sequential numbers and letters on the keyboard such as “Qwerty” or “Zxcvbnm,” as such passwords are very exposed and easy to crack.
4- Include symbols, numbers, uppercase and lowercase letters
As mentioned in the previous point, the phrase should be random and meaningless, but it’s better to include random uppercase and lowercase letters, symbols, and numbers as well. For example, use symbols like @, $, #, * or use them all in your password. If the password is a phrase, you can make the first letter of each word a capital letter. This way, it will be easy for you to remember it, but at the same time, difficult for strangers to guess.
5- Avoid using personal information
Many people rely on passwords related to their personal lives, such as birthdays, children’s names, residential addresses, pet names, or school and university names. All these types of passwords are extremely risky, especially if the intruder or criminal is well aware of you and knows all those things about you. Many people have fallen victim to internet criminals because of this type of passwords.
6- Do not reuse passwords on multiple accounts
There are many breaches that affect some email services or social media accounts. Through these breaches, hackers can get their hands on email addresses and passwords for accounts. The worst-case scenario that can happen to you is if you use the same email and password for many other personal accounts online.
If internet criminals manage to get your email, it will be very easy for them to know all the other websites you use online. Therefore, it is essential to use multiple and different passwords for each account you have online, so if a massive breach occurs in your email service or any other service you have, intruders will not be able to harm your other accounts.
7- Use a password manager
If you have trouble remembering passwords due to the number of personal accounts you have, you can rely on password manager programs and trust them blindly. These programs generate complex passwords for your personal accounts, making it impossible to decrypt them. However, they require you to remember only one password for the program, called a “Master Password.” This means you only need to remember the password for the program. The best part is that they allow password synchronization across various devices.
