If the password for your bank account is 123456, you’re in good company. Apparently the need for difficult to guess (read, difficult to hack) passwords is lost on millions of internet users.
As more and more financial and other sensitive transactions migrate to the internet, the need for upgraded security at the user level is lagging dangerously behind.
Recent New York Times research identified about 30 passwords that tens of millions of users turn to over and over. One of the most popular is “password”.
New tools available to hackers allow automated attacks incorporating the most popular passwords to break into supposedly secure accounts. Increasing the pool of most popular choices from 30 to 5000 shows that a full 20% of internet users’ passwords are included.
Fast computers coupled with speedy networks give hackers the tools to go after thousands of accounts simultaneously. Couple this capability with software that can automatically resubmit passwords over and over until access is gained, and the time consuming problem of cracking log ins is not longer an issue.
For secure passwords, always mix numbers, letters and characters and use both upper and lower case. Use 12 character passwords to protect your most sensitive data and stay away from the most popular 30 choices.
GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape,Duracell Procell batteries, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands. Read about our security policy here.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.