I Learned that Using a Safe Password is Not Enough
Before I started my study in cybersecurity, I used the same password for everything. It was a good password, but I just learned that a good password does not take it to protect yourself from hackers.
You probably currently use or have used a password made from a password generator like this: QPy)*anQtcQf=:aSe+5 and thought it was safe to use this password everywhere or something simple like your dog name with a number, but nothing is less accurate.
Big companies like MyFitnessPal, Microsoft, Facebook, etc, were all hacked at some point in history, and user data was stolen. We call this a data breach. All this data can be found and looked on the dark web, so when you did have an account with one of the companies that were hacked, it is most likely your password and information can be found in these databases; a hacker needs to search with your email, and within second your breached information is there for them to use.
Treat your password like your toothbrush. Don't let anybody else use it; get a new one every six months.
Knowing this, I'm more careful about how I handle my password. Here are some key points I live by about handling my passwords;
- A different password for everything
- Use a password vault to store all your login credentials
- With every password vault, there is an option to make a secure password
- Change every six months your password (I do this only for important stuff like banking)
If you follow these key points, you will be sure your passwords will be safe, and you don’t need to worry about your data being breached
