password •

never use the same password for different apps and online accounts

According to experts, one of the most common security mistakes one can make online is related to the usage of the same password for multiple online accounts. To stay safe while browsing it is highly recommended never to use the same password for different apps and online accounts. This way, if one account gets hacked, all the other will remain safe.

The most exposed category to such attacks consists of celebrities (whether we talk about politicians or pop singers, they are all equally eligible to become victims). The most recent examples include Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and singer Drake. The hacker(s), going by the name of OurMine Team, managed to gain access to Zuckerberg`s Twitter and Instagram accounts. Care to know what was the password Facebook CEO used to log in? “dadada”.

Also, in order to avoid one of the common security mistakes that can expose your online data to hackers making your accounts vulnerable to unauthorized breaches, specialists advise using a two-factor authentication. Also abbreviated as 2FA, this extra safety measure adds a second layer of security when logging in. Usually, the authentication process requires only a username and password. This second level introduces a new identification pattern, such as a physical factor (an ATM card for example, or a phone) or a biometric factor (a fingerprint recognition mechanism. In some situations, this can be replaced by a voice recognition facility).

Although this is not a new feature in the online security business, its popularity increased during recent years. And since the two-factor authentication has become a commonplace, hackers developed new ways to go around it or break it. One of the vulnerable points of this system is the password recovery process that can temporarily reset your login details to a new username and password.

To take Facebook as an example, one can reset all details by sending a new password via SMS. In case you lose your phone, make sure you immediately deactivate your phone number or simply remove it from the security steps Facebook advises you to take in order to secure your account.

Despite this obvious vulnerability to unauthorized breaches, experts are optimistic about the future of two-factor authentication and they assure online users of the efficiency such a prevention technique has in discouraging hackers.

Image source: Youtube

The password “password” is among the most popular used along “1234” and “qwerty”.

If you went to see the preview of “The Force Awakens” and changed all your passwords to “starwars” the next day, then you are using one of the 25 worst passwords people used in 2015. The name of the much-loved franchise made it to the top next to world famous “1234” and the lengthier “123456”.

SplashData announced in a press release a list comprising 25 worst passwords people used in 2015. Among the contenders, there are classics like “1234”, “12345” and “123456”. Their simple nature is only matched by the “qwerty” password.

But people are not that imaginative as they think because a lot of them thought they were really clever and original by using “1qaz2wsx”, and they were, just them and the other million or so people that were using the exact combination.

It seems that obvious is the secret behind the 25 worst passwords people used in 2015 because the majority were just easy to remember keyboard combinations. Apart from these, users worldwide thought that nobody would ever hack an account that was protected by the mighty password “password” or “football”, or, the public’s favorite “starwars” character, “solo”.

Here is the complete list of 25 worst passwords people used in 2015. They are ranked in accordance to their popularity, and the ones marked with an “N” are new additions to this list that is as old as the internet.

123456
password
12345678
qwerty
12345
123456789
football
1234
1234567
baseball
welcome N
1234567890 N
Abc123
111111
1qaz2wsx N
dragon
master
monkey
letmein
login N
princess N
qwertyuiop N
solo N
passw0rd N
starwars N

These passwords were named the worst not only because of their increased popularity, but also because they are simple enough to be guessed by a middle schooler trying to hack into the parent’s e-mail to delete his latest grade report.

Specialists advise people that recognized their password in the list above to change it as soon as possible because online information theft is a serious matter and must be prevented any way possible.

In order to help those that lack the imagination of creating a more complex password than “1234”, the “Times” advises people to use password management applications that are available in the App store. The downside of using such a tool is, still a higher risk of being hacked, but, this time, they go after the App first.

The best way to create a good password is to, firstly and most important, avoid the 25 worst passwords people used in 2015 list and to think about an inside joke that you have with yourself. Like the name of the character in a book that you once read and thought was cool and a funny color, or the name of your boss linked to a funny activity or facial expression. It’s easy to remember and hard to hack.

Image source: www.wikimedia.org

Common Security Mistakes which Can Compromise Your Online Accounts

25 Worst Passwords People Used in 2015

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