Many people think that no hacker would be interested in\ntheir accounts until it\u2019s too late. Bad password habits are one of the leading\ncontributors to hacked accounts, just like bad driving habits are one of the\nleading contributors to auto accidents. You can\u2019t completely trust a website to\nkeep you safe, especially if you\u2019re putting in minimal effort on your part. Check\nyour password habits to be sure you aren\u2019t putting yourself at risk for a huge\nprivacy breach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. Using\nthe Same Password Across Many Websites<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If every single lock in your life uses the same key, you\nonly need to lose that key once to be completely devastated. Of course it\u2019s\neasier to remember how to log in if your password is the same for everything.\nThat also means its easy for a hacker to compromise your entire life \u2013 they\nonly need one password, too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Every single password you use should be significantly\ndifferent. Never use the same password for everything. Even if you only use the\nsame password for a couple of websites, you can inadvertently give every single\npassword away. If the exposed passwords also happens to be the same one you use\nfor your email, that\u2019s all a hacker needs. They can access your email, request\npassword changes for all the accounts connected to that email, and get into\neverything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. Using Short\nor Easy to Guess Passwords<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Thankfully, this passwords in is increasingly more difficult to commit. Many websites require users to create more complex passwords, making them a little harder to guess. For websites that don\u2019t or cases where your password barely meets their minimum requirements, you\u2019re still putting yourself at risk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The ideal password is at least 16 characters long, and won\u2019t\nbe a word at all. Combinations of various uppercase and lowercase letters\nintermingled with numbers and special characters are nearly impossible to guess\n\u2013 especially if they don\u2019t really spell out anything. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 3.\nStoring Passwords in Your Browser or a Text File<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Storing passwords in your browser seems like the smart and\neasy way to avoid forgetting anything. Keeping them in a text file, like a\nnotepad document or a Microsoft word document, might make it easy to refer to\nyour list if you can\u2019t quite remember something. You should never do this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Having all of your passwords stored in a single unencrypted\nplace is a gigantic liability. A hacker or malicious individual only needs to\ngain access to a single place in order to take each and every password you\nhave. If you do your banking and pay your bills online, that person has access\nto your entire life. Never save passwords anywhere that cannot be protected by\nencryption. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 4.\nSharing Passwords with Others<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n At first, this seems obvious. Never give your password to\nsomeone else. Most people have enough common sense not to do that where their\npersonal information is directly concerned. But think about the things that\npeople often share. Do you let someone else use your Netflix or Hulu? That\nperson now has a password that belongs to you. They can lock you out of your\naccount or attempt to take your payment information. They can upgrade your\nservice, hike up your bill, and continue to share your streaming profile with\nsomeone else. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you use that same password for a different site, it won\u2019t\nbe difficult for them to log in. It\u2019s really easy to get someone\u2019s email\naddress or username. They can easily try that password and see if it works.\nSharing isn\u2019t always caring \u2013 especially where your privacy is involved. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 5. Never Recycle\nOld Passwords<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you change a password to something else and then change\nit back, you run the risk of being compromised again. If anyone else had that\npassword before, they now have it again. Hackers tend to spread and sell\ninformation slowly. If you changed your password because you believed it was\nunsafe, waited a while, and then changed it back, you\u2019ve just put yourself back\nin the line of fire. Never use the same password twice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Have my\nPasswords Been Compromised?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s possible that your information was released in a data\nbreach and you don\u2019t even know about it. There\u2019s no way to tell if your\npassword has been stolen by someone you know or caught up in a small time\nhacker\u2019s scheme, but major breaches are always reported. You can use\nhaveibeenpwned.com to search for your email address. If you had an account with\nany website or service provider that was involved in a breach and your details\nare believed to be on that list, Have I Been Pwned? will tell you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If there is even the slightest chance that your personal\ninformation might be circulating, you should immediately change all of your\npasswords. Delete accounts on websites and apps you no longer use to avoid\nbeing embroiled in data breaches. <\/p>\n\n\n\n How Can I\nKeep My Passwords Safe?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n You can use something like KeePass to keep your passwords\nsafe. KeePass allows users to create a protected, secure, encrypted database of\ntheir passwords. You can use passwords that are random strings of numbers,\nletters, and symbols without having to worry about storing them in your browser\nor remembering them. KeePass will even generate random and complex passwords\nfor you, creating secure passwords that are impossible to guess.<\/p>\n\n\n\n