Most people have two or three passwords the always use and they never change. This means that are using the same passwords for multiple things, like social media, online games, e-shopping, and even banking and credit cards. It is a good idea to use different passwords for different website, especially your banking, credit cards, and other financial websites. At the very least, any website that is related to finances or is a service that can impact your credit should have a different password.
HACKERS GO AFTER EASY SITES
For banks and financial institutions, digital security is a top priority. They spend top dollar on websites and systems to keep your information safe. They require two-factor authentication, and many require you to change your password every so often, usually every 90 days.
And yet, with all the tools that are in place and all the money that is spent on data security, the weakest part of the system is the user. When the average person sets up their banking account, they use the same password they use for mostly everything else.
Non-financial website and mobile apps do not have the same encryption and data security requirements that financial institutions have. Therefore, when you hear about companies that have been hacked, you rarely hear about companies like Chase or Morgan Stanley. When a company like that gets hacked, it becomes big news.
The companies that get hacked are the smaller ones that do not have as much in the way of data security. Hackers go after smaller companies or mobile apps because they want to get email address and password combinations. They know that most people use the same email addresses and passwords for everything, so if they have email and passwords pairs, they then go out and check those combinations out on different banking sites, and when they get a hit, they now have access to all of your money, credit cards, and personal information. You could be completely wiped out.
HERE ARE SOME PASSWORD TIPS TO PROTECT YOURSELF.
Use different passwords for different sites. Therefore, if a site gets hacked and someone gets access to your password, that password will not work anywhere else.
Change your passwords on a regular basis. If you have been using the same password for years, chances are that someone along the way got that password in one of the major data breeches that has happened over the last few years.
Don’t use passwords that are obvious. Such as kid’s names, or pets, spouses, loved ones, or even your favorite television characters.
Use combinations of upper- and lower-case letters as well as numbers and special characters.
Use a string of random words that are easy to remember, but hard for the a computer to guess.
Most of all, don’t write your passwords down on a pad and place it someplace you think no one will ever look, like under your keyboard. If you have to write down your passwords, keep them in a pad that you keep safely locked away somewhere, or better yet, use an app like LastPass to safely store your passwords in a way no one could easily get to them.
Be sure you protect yourself by keeping your passwords safe. There is a lot of personal information that is stored online. You have to make sure that your information is protected.