If you’re one of those dinosaurs who have consistently refused to join LinkedIn to expand your network of connections, then good for you because you’re very likely not one of the 117 million individuals whose account details could not be circulating in the dark web. In 2012, a group of hackers launched an attack against the company and it was initially believed that about 7 million users were exposed, but new information indicates that 117 million users whose usernames and passwords are now at risk.
A hacker going by the name of “Peace” has certainly disturbed the peace among users after admitting that he has put the stolen data for sale. A blog by LeakedSource, a search engine of hacked data, revealed that it was so easy to crack the passwords of millions of users because they were ridiculously easy to guess – imagine using “123456” for your password? But apparently, that’s a popular choice, while coming in close as second and third most popular password choices are “linkedin” and “password” (start rolling eyes here).
Individuals have an average of 10 different accounts (social media, email, etc.), and creating a different password for each one of them is definitely difficult especially if you are memory challenged. This is one reason why some just use one password for all their accounts, while others resort to easy-to-remember passwords like the “123456” or even their usernames or birthdays for example.
LinkedIn execs have advised users to change their passwords and said they will be enabling a two-step verification feature to alert users a text message when their account is accessed from an unregistered or unknown device. Others, like Amazon, are thinking of more creative ways to protect their users like using selfies or videos to replace passwords especially when authorizing product purchases.
Happy Hour came across a very interesting and informative article published on the Mastercard website that tells customers how to pick a password—or things that one should not do (http://newsroom.mastercard.com/asia-pacific/2016/03/11/how-to-pick-a-password-what-not-to-do/?utm_source=taboola&utm_medium=bloomberg).
According to the feature written by Manu Kashyap, only three in five people use different passwords for different accounts due to the challenge of having to remember multiple passwords for various accounts.
“The problem with using the same password for many accounts is that once someone discovers one of your passwords they can access any of your devices or online accounts. In addition, a fifth of people use birthdays, 18 percent their pet’s name, and 12 percent family names,” the author says. And since these passwords are relatively easy for hackers to guess, gaining access to sensitive information is also equally easy. So what can people do to protect themselves from these cyber thieves?
One is to use biometrics which will keep personal information safe without having to use passwords. Fingerprints for instance can be used to confirm identity when making online purchases or payment via smart gadgets. Like Amazon, Mastercard is also pilot testing “Selfie Pay” which allows users to use their phone camera as part of a two-step verification process, with sensors that can detect motion like the blinking of an eye for example.
However, such high-tech means will probably take years before they can become widespread, so meantime, here are a few quick tips from the author on to pick a password:
1. Always use a combination of numbers, letters and other characters such as exclamation marks!
2. Make it long – at least eight characters but ideally 16
3. Never use names, locations, phone numbers or birthdays
4. Use a mixture of upper and lower case characters
5. Don’t use English words – most hackers assume passwords will be in English
6. Don’t let websites remember your passwords
7. Use different passwords for different sites and devices
So next time you create an account and are asked to enter your password, keep these tips in mind. And oh, be wary of Number 6, especially when using a public or shared computer.
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