Password Reuse? A definite No Go

Easily guessed passwords are one of the most significant security dangers which can be face online. But all is not lost, this can be easily fixed! 

We see all the time in the news, radio, magazines how common stories are becoming of companies who are being hacked and their customers data stolen, leaving the customers stranded. 

The way hackers tend to work is to access other sites they have hacked and try the same passwords across other sites you use. There are plenty of cases where they have gained access into business/personal bank accounts. 

The Danger Of Old Passwords

Imagine this, a website you signed up for 5 years ago are no longer in use, but the site is still live and the databases are still active. Money is not being spent into security and due to that, much more easy to hack. 

What does this mean for you? Let’s say you used the same password/s you do now as you did then, not only have hackers got into the database easily but have also gained access your passwords, passwords you still use for important information such as your bank and so on.

MySpace is a prime example of this, after drastically going on the decline in 2007 users left to new platforms but their accounts were abounded on the servers. In 2016 MySpace suffered a data leak which exposed 360 million users accounts, containing usernames, emails and passwords. 

After the attack these were then published online for the world to see. 

The consequences of having the same password can be vast. If a company you have signed up with has had a data leak, hackers will be able to access the hacked password and try them against your other accounts.

Password Management

The best thing we can advise is getting into a habit of using unique passwords for every login you use. A strong password should contact an uppercase letter, lowercase letter, special character, numbers. Many companies and people see this as impractical but here’s why it is easier then you think:

• Apps like LastPass are encrypted and allow you to keep all your passwords under one place with a special, unique password.
• Most modern devices like iPhones generate a random unique password which they will encrypt and can only be unlocked via your finger print or facial recognition. 

As you can see, these solutions offer a very simple way of having strong, unique passwords for each of your logins. 

We recommend giving LastPass a check (link below). 

Conclusion

Let’s keep this simple… don’t reuse passwords!! 

For more information on how to organise your passwords safely give us a call on 01903 357002 or email us on contact@aruntechsupport.co.uk