How Secure Is Your Password?
Explore the importance of having a strong password and its proper usage.
2/6/20251 min read
Passwords are your first line of defence against cyber threats but often the weakest link.
For many people, password protection means personal data protection and with cyber threats increasing, it is high time to shore up your defences before it is too late.
Hackers can easily break into your accounts with weak passwords. Brute force attacks involve the use of automated tools to crack passwords by guessing thousands of combinations in seconds. Credential stuffing is the phenomenon where if you use the same passwords on multiple accounts, one breach could jeopardise your entire accounts across multiple platforms.
Phishing scams also deceive users into sharing login information, while the poor storage of passwords in data breaches puts accounts at significant risk in terms of security. If your password is a commonly used word or phrase, is shorter than 12 characters, does not contain a mixture of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols, or has been used in multiple accounts, your data might be at risk.
The good news? It is not really hard to create strong passwords.
Create a passphrase, a long and meaningless phrase that is easy to remember but hard to crack, instead of a password. To put it simple, if password is a word, then passphrase is a phrase.
Also, avoid clear and obvious information such as your name, company name or birthday. Then, turn on multi factor authentication for a few extra layers of protection. You can also use password managers that allow you to save difficult passwords without the need to memorise.
Remember that a weak password is like leaving your front door unlocked for cybercriminals to walk right in. Cyber threats are evolving, and so should your security measures. Don’t wait until you fall as a victim to a data breach or financial fraud.
Take action today and fortify your digital defenses.
In case you’re in need of resolving your computer issues but afraid of pockets being busted, give Afford IT a call and experience our “No Fix, No Fee” guarantee.
