How Passwords are stolen!

Ever wondered how your passwords could get to the hands of hacker ? well lets get to know how.

I have listed few ways on how your passwords could get to the hands of hacker and a guide on how to create a proper password.

·         Dictionary attacks

Dictionary attacks are done using programs that cycle through a predetermined list of common words often used in passwords. Passwords with words or phrases are weak and that the easiest for these programs to predict. To protect your accounts from dictionary attacks do not use common words and phrases in your passwords.

How to protect your user passwords from dictionary attacks

1. Change your passwords regularly.
2. Do not use common words or phrases in your password.
3. Do not write down your passwords, or share them with others.
4. Use two-factor authentication (link is external)as an extra layer of protection .
5. Do not use again the same password across different websites.

·        Password crackers

A password cracker is a program used to crack passwords by brute force, trying again and again millions of combinations of characters, until your password is detected. Shorter and less complex passwords are quicker to guess for the program. Longer and complex passwords take much longer to guess. If this is the case, the attacker is more likely to use a dictionary attack because of the lengthy amount of time it will take for the program to figure out the password. To protect your user passwords from password crackers use complex passwords.

How to create a complex password

1. Never use commonly used passwords like “123456,” “password,” “qwerty,” or a word like “apple.”
2. You must never use phone numbers, addresses, birthdays, your SSN or your name, the name of a family member or pet in your password.
3. Always try to use a combination of lowercase and uppercase letters, numbers and symbols in your passwords.
4. Create passwords  at least eight characters long as passwords with more characters and symbols are more difficult to guess.
5. Do not use words or phrases.

What you must do if you suspect that your password have been compromised?

First things first , do not delay you must act fast.

• Try to figure out  the kind of attack. Was it an online breach or a POS breach?
• Use two-factor authentication whenever it is able to use.
• Monitor potentially compromised accounts, especially your online banking accounts.
• Alter your passwords to complex passwords on all of your accounts, especially if you tend to reuse the same passwords for different websites.