Online threat actors are cyberbullies that fool innocent users into installing malicious software in their systems. One such hacker that recently shook the entire world goes by the name ShinyHunters. This particular hacker breached the cybersecurity of 18 companies and stole the data records of 386 million users from those companies. And this is just one example. Hundreds and thousands of such online security breaches are carried out globally. You can imagine for yourself the kind of damage that can be done.
The one thing that cybersecurity experts have always suggested is using a strong password. In fact, password is the first and foremost web security wall between your devices (online accounts) and the internet. Clearly, if it remains unbreached so will your accounts.
However, there are many things that one has to keep in mind while handling a password. The list below will take you through all those password practices that will keep you safe from hackers.
- Changing Passwords
Did you know that cybersecurity experts suggest changing the passwords of online accounts once or twice every year?
The reason is that sometimes the password is compromised and the user wouldn’t even know about it. Which is why changing the password once in a while is a good idea.
Next, if a website that you have an account on suffers from a data security breach, always change the password. It’s quite possible that even your account could have been compromised. Hence, changing the password in such cases is a necessity.
- Managing Passwords
Each one of us nowadays have accounts on many social networking sites. And clearly, no one has that kind of elephant’s memory that they will remember all the passwords. So, what most people do is note down the passwords in files that are unencrypted.
However, there are password manager apps that are designed and made just for the purpose of storing passwords and helping you generate complicated passwords. The plus side to using these apps is that they are encrypted.
- Using a Password
The way that you use a password also determines whether it can provide strong protection or not. The following are the ways in which a password should not be used.
- Don’t reuse an old password.
- Don’t use the same password for all accounts
- Every account needs to have its own exclusive password.
Keeping the above-listed three password habits in mind will safeguard your online accounts much more nicely than they ever were. If you ever still feel like finding out whether your password is compromised, you can sign up for ‘Have I Been Pwned’.
