How bad are we at creating safer passwords? The latest data shows a whopping 75% of people worldwide don’t follow password best practices. We should know better … and yet, 84% of us reuse our passwords.
Why do I harp on this so often? You can blame over 80% of data breaches on weak or repeated passwords. Maybe you’ve never experienced the horror of identity theft, but let me tell you, it’s bad.
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Whenever something new that can help protect your security pops up, you can count on me to make sure you know about it. Good news. Amazon just got on board the passkey train. Passkeys replace your (probably not that strong) password with something no one can hack: Your fingerprint or face ID.
A weak password brings all the hackers to the yard … and your Amazon cart, so this is a welcome addition to our cybersecurity arsenal. I’m not gonna lie, there are a few steps involved to get ‘er done — but follow the guide below and you’ll be up and running in no time.
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Passwords might be one of the biggest tech frustrations. Make them too hard, and they’re impossible to remember. Too easy, and your accounts are practically wide open.
Maybe you use a password manager or your browser’s built-in option to remember your logins. Here’s how to find saved passwords in your browser.
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It’s bad news almost every time I talk to you about passwords. That’s because we (as in, yeah, all of us) play fast and loose with this critical aspect of cybersecurity.
- 84% of us are too laid-back (think sensitive info like birth dates or easy-to-crack codes like fido123).
- 52% of folks have just five or fewer passwords for everything. Yep, everything.
- Nearly half are hanging onto a password that’s over a decade old. Aged like fine wine? Not so much for security.
Woof! Enter the FIDO Alliance
That stands for Fast IDentity Online. Big tech companies launched the industry association in 2013 to build a better system than passwords we have to keep track of and type in. Now we’re seeing more start to roll it out, and Google’s beta testing worked so well that the company just made it the standard way to protect your account.
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I hate passwords. I know you do, too. Tech companies know we all do — and they’re finally doing something about it. Good timing, given how fast AI can crack passwords now, eh?
Passkeys use your device’s built-in security, like the fingerprint scanner on your phone or facial recognition on your laptop, to make online access tighter than the passwords you struggle to remember.
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Add a capital letter. Needs a number. Oops, you forgot a special character. That’s how it feels to create a tough password these days.
By now, you’re used to the login runaround, but how good are you at it? Put yourself to the test with a password game that even the creator admits he can’t beat.
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Passwords keep your online accounts safe from hackers, but not if they’re easy to guess. Today’s cybercriminals study the latest trends and know what it takes to crack your code.
Curious as to how your passwords measure up? Read on to see if yours made the naughty list and learn how to protect yourself from hackers.
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If you find yourself locked out of your Facebook account, don’t panic. Take solace in the fact that your strong password will also make it difficult for cybercriminals to get access. You shouldn’t trust a stranger who promises to help you get back into your accounts. Tap or click here to see why.
Google offers various methods to get back into a locked-out account. Whether you forgot your password, lost your phone (which is commonly used to get verification codes) or got hacked, you should be able to regain access to your Google account. If your account was hijacked, try to recover it as soon as possible.
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Hackers can make a ton of money by selling your private information on underground forums. It’s possible that your passwords are being sold on the Dark Web right now. That’s why you should run a cybersecurity check now and then.
Sadly, no amount of prevention can save you from a security breach. Hackers could breach a company you have an account with, exposing millions of private records. Tap or click here for a survival guide to follow after hackers compromise your data.
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Strong, unique passwords are your first defense against unauthorized access to your devices and personal information. The better the password, the more secure your computer or device will be from threat actors.
The thing is that a good password is not enough. It must be paired with other security practices for optimum protection. Just a few extra steps can go a long way in preventing disaster.
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Keeping critical data safe can be difficult, especially when cybercriminals keep coming up with sneakier ways to rip us off. That’s why you need to be careful with passwords. If a criminal gets ahold of your credentials, they can do whatever they want with your account. Tap or click here to find out how to create stronger passwords.
Many of us are leery when giving guests in our homes the Wi-Fi password. It’s not that you don’t trust grandma. You’re just afraid that handing your network’s password out to anyone could lead to disaster later.
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Picture a hacker. Did you see a shadowy figure in a hoodie typing in password after password? Hate to break it to ya, but they’re a lot smarter than that. (Though I can’t say either way about the hoodies.)
Hackers are jumping on the artificial intelligence bandwagon and upping their game. Get this: AI service PassGAN cracked 51% of common passwords in less than a minute. Let’s take a look at other hacker tools so you can stay safe.
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Any regular visitor to Komando.com knows one thing for sure: Never share your passwords. While that’s true in general, password sharing is sometimes safe. You have to be careful and do it the right way.
With this tip, you’ll know how to safely share passwords with friends, family or coworkers. Essentially, it all comes down to using the right password manager. Scroll down for more details.
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Strong passwords aren’t enough to secure your most sensitive accounts. You want two-factor authentication (2FA), which is becoming standard across many industries and services. Here’s everything you need to know about 2FA.
Passkeys take security a step further by eliminating passwords. Here’s what you need to know.
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Two-factor authentication (2FA) is becoming standard across all your devices and accounts, and for good reason. It’s easy to use and one of four ways to protect yourself from hackers and scammers.
2FA usually consists of two things: something you know (like a password) and something you have (like a smartphone). It can even involve who you are (a thumbprint or facial scan).
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You should change your passwords every three months. Wait too long, and hackers might crack the code. However, cybercriminals work quickly, so you need to look for other signs that it’s time to change your passwords.
After this tip, you’ll know all the signs of a compromised password. As a result, you’ll be able to act quickly when things go bad. Tap or click here for the five biggest cybersecurity threats you should know about.
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Two decades ago, you had a single password to keep in mind, maybe two. But these days the list of sites and accounts you might want to sign up for is nearly endless. What’s worse is hackers prey on people who reuse passwords, so it’s important to use strong, unique passwords for every site.
You’d be shocked to find out how many people still use doozies like “123456” or “password” for their login credentials. Tap or click here for the biggest password mistakes you can make.
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Have you ever forgotten an old password or an outdated username? We all have. We also know having unique passwords for every online account is a pain, but it’s critical! Tap or click here to find out how cybercriminals can use reused passwords.
With so many passwords to remember, some people save them on their devices. Fortunately, there’s a way to find all the passwords your Apple computer has stored locally.
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How many sites and services do you keep accounts with? Between shopping, banking, apps, work and social media, do you have 20 accounts? Or perhaps more than 100? Tap or click here for 10 tips to secure your accounts with strong passwords.
We hope you’re not using the same password for all your accounts. This is one of the biggest mistakes you can make regarding online security.
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We all make silly mistakes sometimes. We answer robocalls (those numbers do look awfully familiar), click links we should have checked first, and open spam emails.
Everyone is vulnerable and can be caught off guard. It’s what we do next that really counts. Do you believe the caller claiming to be an IRS employee, use your credit card on a sketchy site, or download files from a sender you don’t recognize?
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