Are Your Computer Passwords Making You an Easy Target for Hackers?

Are Your Computer Passwords Making You an Easy Target for Hackers?

Are Your Computer Passwords Making You an Easy Target for Hackers?

 

 The question here is “Are your passwords safe or easy to be detected?” Make your passwords safer so that hackers do not learn them and leave virus’, steal money from your accounts or just embarrass you on social media.

 

Here are the top 25 passwords in 2012 compiled by Splashdata.

1.password  
2. 123456
3. 12345678
4. abc123  
5. qwerty
6. monkey
7. letmein 
8. dragon  
9. 111111
10. baseball
11. iloveyou
12. trustno1
13. 1234567  
14. sunshine
15. master  
16. 123123
17. welcome
18. shadow 
19. ashley  
20. football
21. jesus
22. michael
23. ninja

    24. mustang

     24. password1

SplashData’s list of top 25 names was compiled from files containing millions of stolen passwords posted online by hackers. The company advises consumers or businesses using any of the passwords on the list to change them immediately.

Here is the list compiled from Zone Alarm.

·       123456

·       12345

·       123456789

·       Password

·       Iloveyou

·       Princess

·       Rockyou

·       1234567

·       12345678

·       123abc

·       Nicole

·       Daniel

·       Babygirl

·       Monkey

·       Jessica

·       Lovely

·       Michael

·       Ashley

·       654321

·       qwerty

 

Tips for making your passwords more secure:

Embarrassing or Costly Results- If someone's able to guess the password to your email or Facebook account, that person can post or send embarrassing things on your behalf. Someone was able to access Burger King's Twitter account recently and changed its profile picture to a McDonald's logo. If a banking or Amazon account is involved, someone could pay bills or buy iPads under your name - with your money. Some large companies that have been hacked recently; Twitter Apple, Yahoo, LinkedIn and just this week Evernote.

Here are ways you can keep your password strong:

Make your password long and strong. The recommended minimum is eight characters, but 14 are better and 25 are even better than that.

Use combinations of letters and numbers, upper and lower case and symbols such as @#$&*. “PaSsWoRd!43" is far better than "password43’ or try “car_park_dog_bird” or maybe “run#at$6%for@life”.

Avoid words that are in dictionaries, even if you add numbers and symbols. There are programs that can crack passwords by going through databases of known words. One trick is to add numbers in the middle of a word - as in "pas123swor456d" instead of "password123456." Another is to think of a sentence and use just the first letter of each word - as in "tqbfjotld" for "the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog."

Substitute characters. For instance, use the number zero instead of the letter O, or replace the S with a dollar sign.

You shouldn't use your name, company name or hometown, for instance. Avoid pets and relatives' names, too. Likewise, avoid things that can be looked up, such as your birthday or ZIP code. But you might use that as part of a complex password.

Never reuse passwords on other accounts unless it is one like Facebook or Flickr where there is one password for both. Make sure your social media site passwords are different from your banking sites.

Change Passwords Periodically- Whatever system you use, it's good to change your password every few months and if you believe your password might have been compromised, change it immediately.

Security Questions- Many sites let you reset your password if you can answer a preset security question, such as the name of your pet, high school your favorite food, city where you were born or your maiden name. These are unsafe questions as many can look you up and figure out the answers. Also some of this information is sitting right on Facebook for everyone to read. You might try to make these answers complex just like passwords, by adding numbers and special characters and making up responses but some sites won't let you do that, and you'll be stopped if you try to enter a numeral when asked for a city name, for instance.

Don’t Ignore Emails asking if you changed Password- These services will often send an email when a password gets reset this way, so be sure the address on file is current. Be sure to immediately change your password and security questions if you're notified of a reset that you didn’t initiate.

Two Passwords- Some services such as Gmail even give you the option of using two passwords when you use a particular computer or device for the first time. If you have that feature turned on, the service will send a text message with a six-digit code to your phone when you try to use Gmail from an unrecognized device. You'd need to enter that for access, and then that code expires. It's optional, and it's a pain - but it could save you from grief later on. Hackers wouldn't be able to access the account without possessing your phone. Turn it on by going to the account's security settings.

Software Flaws- Many hackers get into your computer from flaws in the software program you use. Be sure to let the programs automatically update as they can usually fix flaws.

Anti-Virus Software- This is so important and I for one found it out the hard way. Make sure to use good anti-virus software such as Kaspersky, Norton, and McAfee.

Password Protector Apps- If you are having trouble remembering your                    passwords try using a password manager application that organizes and       protects passwords and can automatically log you into websites. There are       numerous applications available, but choose one with a strong track record of       reliability and security.

Easy Targets- Even though each year hacking tools get more sophisticated, thieves still tend to prefer easy targets. Just a little bit more effort in choosing better passwords will go a long way toward making you safer online.

Interesting Data from Zone Alarm shows:

79% of all users are at risk.

1% use 13 characters or more.

2% use 12 characters.

4% use 11 characters.

9% use 10 characters.

26% use 5 characters.

*So what about the other 58% of users? At more risk?

If you believe your password has been compromised, change it immediately.

 

 

 

 

Need a Great Realtor in San Bernardino & Riverside? Google me here...Kristin Hamilton 909.557.6966.

Kristin Hamilton CDPE, SFR, CHS, BPOR, BA
Keller Williams Realty DRE-01492138