How to Keep Your Passwords Secure
Jun 23, 2022
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Passwords are the keys that keep all of our most important information secure. These virtual keys are extremely important in our modern society, securing everything from bank accounts to emails and even our social media profiles.
However, the problem is that many people do not understand how to create strong and unique passwords, and ultimately, this is what puts them at risk. People prefer to use passwords that are easy to remember, even if it means that their accounts may be more at risk.
However, you can use a premium password manager to create any password you want to and store it in a secure virtual vault. This will help you to keep track of your passwords in a much more secure way. If you’re unsure of how to create passwords that will keep cybercriminals out of your accounts, make sure to keep reading.
What Are Strong Passwords?
Strong passwords are not commonly found amongst the billions of internet users all around the world. Many people prefer to create passwords that could be easier for them to remember, and oftentimes this includes personal information such as their names and date of birth.
However, these weaker passwords are putting your accounts at risk. Cybercriminals know that many people use their personal information to create passwords simply because it’s easier. This means that a cybercriminal can scan through any personal information they can find and hack into your account using these details.
Your private identifying details could be easily found in several places on the internet. From your social media accounts to the dark web, cybercriminals have various ways that they can obtain your personal information.
Studies have shown that the strongest passwords are made up of random words, phrases, letters, numbers, and symbols. None of these can relate to you in any way, and you need to ensure that you string different characters together if you want to create a completely strong password for your account.
How do Cybercriminals Steal Passwords?
Even if you've got strong passwords on your accounts, you still need to be careful because there are other ways that cybercriminals can steal your passwords. The most common way that cybercriminals can steal your login credentials is through phishing scams.
In its most basic form, phishing is done simply by sending emails. The victim will receive an email urging them to interact with a link. The link will either prompt malicious software to be installed on the victim’s device, or it will take the victim to a fraudulent website that has been set up by the cybercriminal.
The fake website will be rigged with a keylogger, which will copy everything that the victim types into the website. The website can require the victim to type anything into a form including login credentials, personal information, or even personal information.
Phishing scams have become more and more advanced in recent years, making them much more difficult to spot. Hackers are using social engineering, which is the act of manipulating and deceiving the victim into believing that the email is from a person or company that they know and trust. This makes the victim more likely to interact with the email without questioning its legitimacy.
One example of a popular modern-day phishing scam is where cybercriminals use Netflix. They will replicate the Netflix emails using the logos and colors, and they will inform the victim that they need to update their banking details or risk having their account suspended. The victim can then follow a link in the email that takes them to a fake website that has a keylogger installed on it.
Phishing scams have gone even further than simple emails though. Hackers are now using social media to create fake competitions and surveys to steal people’s personal information and passwords. Fraudulent links can also be disguised as images and icons on websites, and if you’re not careful a simple click on one of these could prompt malware to be installed on your device.
What Are Unique Passwords?
That is exactly why it’s important to have unique passwords. If your banking password is the same as your Netflix password, a cybercriminal simply has to log into your bank account using the same information that you just gave them through their phishing scam.
It’s crucial to have unique passwords on top of your strong passwords. No two passwords should be the same, because this could put multiple accounts at risk rather than just one account. It would take much longer to go through each account to change passwords than just one.
If a cybercriminal has access to your account, you have very little time to limit the amount of damage that they can do while they are there. Cybercriminals tend to lock victims out of their accounts once they have access, which means that they will have even more time to cause damage.
However, the one issue that there is with creating strong and unique passwords is remembering them. It’s impossible to remember all of your passwords, especially if they’re all different and none of the information in the password relates to you.
Why You Should Use a Premium Password Manager
That’s where a password manager comes in. Many of our devices and browsers have built-in password managers. However, these are not always secure, and a cybercriminal could easily breach these password managers using malware and gain access to your entire list of login credentials.
The best solution is a premium password manager. These password managers are much more secure because they are locked with a “master key”. The master key is randomly generated by the password manager, and only you have access to this master key. Whenever someone tries to log into your password manager from a new device or a new location, the master key is required before they are granted access.
This virtual vault ensures that all of your login credentials are stored securely and that no cybercriminal will get hold of them. You simply need to remember your master key by writing it down or keeping it safe on your device.
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