We live in a digital age and hacking has become more common place every day.  If somebody hacks your account you can often go through months of Agony, loss of identity or financial loss.  Sometimes the result of the nightmare is you can never get back into your original account. Rather than being a victim follow these simple tips to avoid an online nightmare.

TIP #1.DON’T use common or easy to guess passwords.

DON’T use simple passwords like: password, password1, pa$$word, etc.

DON’T use repetitive or sequential characters such as: aaaaaa, 1111111, 1234abcd, 12345678

DON’T use previously used or breached passwords

Not sure if your password has been hacked? Check https://haveibeenpwned.com/

DON’T use your usernames or a variation as your password:

Let’s say your username is joeboggs@hotmail.com or joebloggs

Don’t use passwords like: joeboggs or joeboggs1

DON’T use something people can easily guess - like the name of your pet

DO use non-dictionary words.

Make up words that only you would remember

A word like: chachoogalacky would not be in a hacker’s dictionary file

TIP #2. Use long passwords

The longer a password the harder it is to crack. Character replacement tricks like Mickymou$e are ineffective because hackers know people use these tricks. A longer password increases the time to crack exponentially. So use a sentence like:MickyMouseWantsToDriveATeslaOnApril15th vs Mickymou$e

Mickymou$e

Time to crack using a single slow pc: 1 year*

MickyMouseWantsToDriveATeslaOnApril15th

Time to crack using a single slow pc: 6 SEXDECILLION YEARS*

That’s: 6,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 YEARS

See how simple that was?!?!

*Password complexity figures provided by: https://howsecureismypassword.net/

Some websites will limit the length or complexity of your passwords. Pay attention and use the longest password possible. Urge the sites to accept longer passwords or use google or facebook one click login.

TIP #3. Use different passwords for every site

Hackers rely on the fact that people tend to reuse the password on multiple sites. So if they compromise or guess your password at one website, you can be sure they will test that password on other sites. I recommend using a password manager see TIP #4. Change your password only if it’s been breached or you suspect someone has breached your account. Not sure if your password has been hacked? Check https://haveibeenpwned.com/

TIP #4. Use a password manager or social login

Get rid of the sticky notes and paper lists. Paper notes and books can be lost, stolen or damaged. Use a password manager like lastpass.com or dashlane.com

Password managers allow one click creation of a unique and long password for each individual site you access (See tip #3). This prevents you from using the same password, and it’s all conveniently stored in one place. Mobile, browser and desktop clients exist for lastpass and dashlane, so you will never be without your password lists. Also Google and facebook provide one click logins to sites that are often safer than usernames and passwords. Be sure to check what you information and permissions you are handing over when you use one click login. If they are asking for lots of information from your social media profiles, it might be better to use a email password.

TIP #5. The dangers of sharing passwords.

When you share your (Netflix) password with your friends or work colleagues they may not be as safe with your password As You Are. They may also Accidentally or intentionally share your password. If you are sharing passwords make sure that that password is a unique password that you do not use on any other website. Password managers like LastPass allow you to share passwords slightly more securely. Encourage your friends to use a password manager. Some sites allow you to create sub-accounts. That's often better than sharing your password out right. At least you'll know who's responsible if the password gets compromised.

by David Chehebar

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