With remote working and all the virtual environments being used, hackers are working overtime to try to steal your online passwords. We shop and use online services for almost everything, from submitting our taxes, banking or viewing our email. It is very easy to fall into the trap of using the same password because they are so hard to remember.
Hackers know this so they will find one that works and then just go to random sites in the hopes that you have used it there as well. For example, you use a password at Amazon.com and its the same password you use for your banking. If they get the Amazon password, even without knowing what bank you use, they will try the same user/login combo at all the major banking institutions. Now they will have access to your account. Its scary.
Luckily, there are some things you can do to help prevent these issues.
Change your password to something random that even you cant remember.
Don’t use combinations of birthdays, kids names, etc. Use a random string of characters: Ex: jgh23tnhg8w2lfj#2!hU is better than Marisa0205200
Use a different password for every site/app and get a password manager.
Sure, this can be frustrating or hard to manage, but you can get a password manager that can help you store all of these. I use Dashlane but there are a lot of other’s out there. These apps can also generate the passwords for you.
Turn on 2 factor authentication ANYTIME you can.
If your site or app gives you a 2FA (2 factor authentication) method, turn it on immediately. You will be glad you did. It basically means that just having your password wont be enough to get into your account. Additional validation would be needed to access:
- A text or email would be sent with a code that would have to be entered
- facial recognition
Change your passwords frequently, I recommend at least 1-2 times a year.
Hope these small items can help.
