Password Protection from Engine House No. 16

2016 is being labeled the year of the hack, it’s scary to think of what 2017 will bring. In 2016 data was breached from Yahoo, LinkedIn, and U.S. Department of Justice, as well as smart devices from refrigerators to thermostats. This threat has a lot of asking, “Am I next?” The answer to this is yes. It turns out that 90% of user-generated passwords are vulnerable to hacking due to the lack of password variety account to account.

To keep your passwords safe, the folks here at Fireman Creative have come up with four steps you can take to protect your accounts.

  1.One of the biggest mistakes that users make when creating a password is making them too personal. Pet names, birthdays and zip codes can all be guessed if hackers take a look at your social media accounts. Leave the personal information and instead go for random phases.

  2. Change all of your passwords regularly. Most people use the same two or three passwords for all of their accounts and that is where the real problem lies. If a hacker is able to access your email account with the password “Snowflake1101”, they will figure the same password will work for other accounts too. Changing all of your passwords every few months will keep hackers and your nerves at bay. Using a password manager website like LastPass.com helps users store all of their passwords on one secure browser. Once you create your master password for LastPass you can save website logins and Lastpass approved passwords.

3. Try the password generating site howsecureismypassword.net. This site can calculate how long it would take a computer to figure our your password instantly, by just typing in your current password when prompted. After using the site for just a few minutes it’s easy to see what passwords can be hacked in an instant.

4. Beware of phishing! Phishing emails attempt to obtain sensitive personal information through emails that look like they’re sponsored by a website that users trust. Emails claiming that your account information has been compromised may actually be a phishing scam. Be sure to check emails for unfamiliar website links. If they do not match up with the original website you may be a potential victim of phishing.

Good luck on your trek through the Internet and remember, it’s better to be safe than sorry!