Passwords are a big part of your cybersecurity. If criminals got hold of one of your accounts, they could steal your identity, send messages to your contacts, access your cloud storage, steal your money, or even access your other accounts. Privacy is therefore a key element and all web accounts need a secure password which can be easily remembered otherwise you have a lot to lose: intellectual property, personal data, dignity, money, friends etc.
Everyone knows that strong passwords are essential, but one analysis of National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) from the UK in 2019 revealed that 23.2 million user accounts worldwide were “secure” with “123456”.
Follow our practical tips to better protect your digital world. If your passwords have been breached, you should change them immediately.
How to create a strong password:
Step 1 – Think of a word that is meaningful to you or your goal. For the purposes of the example, we will choose “password”
2nd step – add case sensitivity for some of the letters; for example – PASSword[CC1]
Step 3 – add numbers that are meaningful to you between the letters – PASS26word
Step 4 – increase password length and strength with symbols and punctuation. -! PASS26word
Step 5 – Consider putting this word in a silly (and hard to predict) sentence or math equation: iLove! PASS26word or! PASS26word +5 = Onehundred
Step 6 – Since typical cybercriminals use a “dictionary attack” to “guess” passwords, add a word in another language:! PASS26wordHOLA
Step 7 – Use a digital identity protection solution who will inform you of leaks of your private information on Open Web or Dark Web and all major social media networks. So you can act immediately and prevent potential damage. Find out how it works here or send us a email .
At the end of the process, you will have a password that is long enough to be secure, with a mix of characters, numbers and symbols with your own system and a choice of words or phrases that will make it easy for you to remember. You can check its strength with password verification software.
You can also check if your private data has been exposed online! Use the solution protection of ATK Technologies’ digital identity to see where you are right now and what the internet knows about you.
Additional password security tips:
• Avoid writing down the password, as it can easily be seen and used illegally;
• Do not use the same password for all your accounts;
• Do not text or email your passwords to anyone or type them on computers that may be used by people other than you or your family;
• Use a VPN when you are on a public Wi-Fi network. This way, when you log into accounts, no one intercepts your username and password;
• Use the onscreen keyboard when signing in to accounts, instead of the actual keyboard. This prevents malware – such as keyloggers – from saving and stealing your login credentials.
• Use two-factor or multi-factor authentication systems where appropriate (whether biometric, SMS, authenticator Google ), as they can significantly help you stay protected.
