Whether your passwords are simple, like catlover123 or a complex mishmash of letters, numbers and characters, they are a part of modern life – and they aren’t going away.
While we all have passwords, there might be things you don’t know about them – and why they are a critical front-line of defense against hacking and more.
The fact is, we see many people not taking strong passwords seriously because they don’t think they will be targeted by a bad actor. However, that simply isn’t the case.
Here is what you need to know about passwords.
First, if you think you won’t become the victim of a hacking or cyber attack, you are wrong. Hackers are constantly trying to gain access to personal data and they are very good at what they do. And, they are persistent.
If you have weak passwords, or you never change them, you are at risk. Period.
A longer, more complex password can be a chore to remember but it is also more challenging to a hacker, who can’t simply guess or use a password cracking tool to gain access. The longer and more complex your password, the harder it is to crack it.
Having good password practices will keep your data safe – and hackers at bay. You don’t want to give these bad actors the keys to your kingdom that easily. Its worth the time and effort to not only choose a strong password, but to use a different one for each site and to change them frequently.
According to Norton, in 2022, more than 24 billion passwords were exposed by hackers and more than 80 percent of breaches were related to weak, stolen or reused passwords.
Make this the year you become more security aware and change and update your passwords – making them more complex and harder to hack.
AccuNet Inc.
If you want to talk about how to keep your data secure, we can help. Contact us today!
