Using passwords that are too simple or too common poses a cybersecurity risk: access to our online accounts by cybercriminals. Fortunately, there are simple and effective methods to manage your passwords.
Security experts have been predicting the end of the password for over a decade. Yet, it’s still the primary way to log in to online accounts and mobile apps. The list of NordPassof the 200 most common passwords in 2022, shows that these pose a huge security risk.
Login credentials are the keys to our digital lives, which is why they are so sought after in the cybercrime community. Hackers use many techniques to steal passwords (phishing, automatic attempts of commonly used passwords, etc.). In a context where more than 24 billion combinations of user names and passwords are circulating on the criminal markets online, it is essential to secure passwords to limit the risk of compromising your accounts. Benoit Grunemwald, Cybersecurity Expert at ESET France, shares his tips for protecting personal and financial information.
Secure passwords well
Password security is one of the easiest things to implement, with immediate benefits for the security of our digital lives:
- Always use complex and unique passwords or passphrases. This way, it will be harder for hackers to guess them or do credential stuffing.
- Use a password manager and also use it as a password generator. This will automatically suggest and store your long, strong and unique passwords.
- Never reuse the same passwords. Otherwise hackers can open multiple accounts from a single ID found.
- Do not share passwords. Passwords are personal and allow access to private resources.
- Close unused accounts. They can pose a security risk if compromised.
- Regularly check the strength of passwords and update those that are too weak or outdated.
- Add multi-factor authentication where possible. It adds an extra layer of security to passwords by requiring another authentication factor, such as a face scan, fingerprint, or one-time passcode.
- Do not connect to their accounts on a public Wi-Fi network. Present on the same network, spyware may be able to capture the passwords.
- Use security solutions from a reputable company to protect against information-stealing software and other malware, as well as phishing attacks.
- Beware of “Shoulder surfing”, in public places, a person can look at your screen and read or guess important information. Consider using a screen protector for the laptop.
- Subscribe to a service that checks if the password has been data breached.
- Using a password manager helps reduce the mental burden associated with password headaches. Indeed, this very practical tool will manage a large part of the complexity of the life of passwords.