Passwords grant users access to their mobile devices, bank accounts, work log-ins, private files, and other online systems, and prevents a hacker from stealing personal information.
However, with a surge of data breaches as of recent, which also targeted LastPass, hackers are able to steal and compromise critical customer information.
With that, here are some of the ways you can do in order to protect your passwords from cyber hackers:
1. Avoid Choosing A Weak Password
Even though the most straightforward password combinations have consistently been ranked as the weakest and easiest to guess for years, it still amazes me that people still use them.
Short, obvious passwords based on date of birth or other information are vulnerable to attack, but 98.8% of them are still included in the list of 10,000 passwords.
With that, SplashData and TeamsID advise choosing a phrase with at least 12 characters, made up of letters, numbers, and other symbols, CNBC writes.
2. If Possible, Use Biometrics And Multifactor Authentication.
Online services that deal with sensitive data are increasingly more likely to give you the option of adding another step before entering your password and logging into your account.
More and more smartphones, tablets, and laptops allow you to sign in using your fingerprint instead of a password as well.
Using the most secure type of password technology - the body - voice and touch ID make it even safer for customers to access their bank account.
These methods take a little longer to use, but they significantly discourage anyone from trying to compromise your account.
3. Never Reuse Passwords, Disclose Them, Or Note Them Down
According to Get Safe Online, once a hacker has one of a user's passwords, they might have access to all of their accounts if the victim does not keep the passwords different on accounts.
Keep your passwords unique; avoid using variations that are simple to guess, like substituting capital letters or numbers.
People can now easily store their passwords using a decentralized password solution, which reduces the risk of forgetting them, if they are worried about doing so.
Read More: Hackers Breached LastPass Cloud Storage, Customer Vault Data Stolen
4. Do Not Believe Everything Online
Never open attachments that seem suspicious, even if the sender is someone you know, and delete notes, especially those with attachments, from people you don't know.
If you receive a suspicious note, carefully examine the sender's actual email address to make sure it corresponds to the institution's URL, CNBC advises.
Additionally, to give users a better idea of where they are going, copy the links and paste them into a browser window as opposed to clicking on them.
5. Keep Softwares Up To Date
Users appear to receive notifications about programs that need updates almost every day, even though it might seem easier to put it off, doing so puts you at risk.
"Almost every single time, there's going to be a security update in that feature update, so you need to do it," says Hemu Nigam, founder of SSP Blue, an Internet security consultant.
By keeping your softwares updated, you can make sure that your devices and accounts are equipped with the best security features against the latest vulnerabilities.
Related Article: LastPass Suffers New Breach, Customer Data Gets Exposed
