This is the forbidden number in passwords that hackers ruthlessly attack
Passwords are a first line of defense to protect your online accounts from hackers. But too often people make the mistake of using this number combination.
While the internet has provided us with numerous tools to carry out everyday activities online, it generally requires us to set up accounts with each service, vendor or institution that we deal with. That necessitates creating a password to keep your account and information safe from cybercriminals.
However, those hoodlums are gaining access to ever more powerful and sophisticated tools to hack people’s accounts. Often times, many of the data points that can help them crack your passwords are readily available and publicly visible including a combination of numbers you should never use.
The forbidden number in passwords that hackers ruthlessly attack
People are advised to make “strong” passwords, which means longer and more complex. It’s recommended that they be at least 12 characters long, Microsoft says “14 or more is better.” Additionally, it should contain both capital and lowercase letters as well as symbols and numbers.
But this can make it harder for people to remember. So, for that reason, people will often use their birth year or date, numbers that easily come to mind. However, this is the first piece of information that cybercriminals will seek out when preparing to hack your account.
They will also be looking to see if people are using their first or last names, nicknames or an address, all of which can be easily found across social media. It’s recommended not to use “a word that can be found in a dictionary or the name of a person, character, product or organization.”
You should furthermore make each password “significantly different from your previous passwords” advises Microsoft.
The Windows creator recommends making your passwords “easy for you to remember but difficult for others to guess” and that you “consider using a memorable phrase. The tech company gives the example of “6MonkeysRLooking^” as guidance to keep the scoundrels from being able to use brute-force attacks to hack your accounts.
It’s also a good idea, and many times nowadays mandatory, to use two-factor authentication to provide an extra layer of defense against unauthorized access to your personal data and accounts.
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