Seven things you didn’t know about YOUR own password

 

Hacking news, Security news, Technology

Here are seven different ways in which hackers can crack even the strongest password you have created for various websites and devices

The internet is a fantastic place, we’re sure you agree. Business or pleasure, you can stay in touch people from around the globe, entertain yourself, entertain others, complete your weekly grocery shopping, book a holiday, you name it, the internet will allow the opportunity to do it. However, as amazing as the internet is, security-wise, it can leave a lot of people vulnerable. Nowadays, many passwords are easy to crack as people simply aren’t following the correct procedures.

There are a number of things that people are unaware of when it comes to the internet and we’re on hand to make your life easier to make you aware of seven little facts you didn’t know about the internet.

1. You should change your password regularly and when you do, ask yourself how long will it take to crack my password. Change it every three months, between 60-90 days is the appropriate time frame and should certainly be no less than this. Changing your password often enhances security and reduces the chance of it being cracked.
2. As technology advances, unfortunately, so do hackers. Say ten years ago, a typical 7-character password would have taken several years to crack but now, it takes just a matter of hours.

3. It only takes 0.29 milliseconds to crack a 7-character password made up of all lowercase letters. However, a 12-character password consisting of mixed lower case letters would take almost 200 years to crack! Thus it’s definitely worth extending your password a few characters, even if it’s just repeating the word, or spelling it again, but backwards. Those extra characters really can save you a lot of stress. Though, be sure to avoid common names.
4. A simple password consists of lower case letters only whilst a complex password will consist of both upper and lower case letters as well as numbers and special characters. For example, the password “ghiouhel” would take just four hours, seven minutes to crack whilst something similar such as ghiouH3l would take up to six months to crack and by that time, you will have already changed your password twice!
5. Frighteningly, your password may have been cracked recently without you even being aware. Thankfully, however, there a few tell-tale signs that your password has been cracked. This may consist of your contacts may complain of receiving spam messages from your e-mail address, or you may find a number of failed send receipts, messages in your sent folder may not have actually sent, and the login location of your account does not match your recently visited locations.
6. Sometimes, you may receive an email urging you to change your password immediately. More often than not, it’s worth ignoring these emails, or changing the password of your own accord rather than following the link provided in said e-mail. Check the email address you received the message from and make sure it’s from the actual company and not a phishing account. For example, if you do receive a Reset Password email, make sure it’s from Google and not from an email ending in “@google.chrome.to”.
7. Never ever write down your password! If you do have to write it down, try to encrypt it. For example, if your password is “6LiohyetuP!”, write it down as “6*********!”, but obviously, only if you remember everything in the asterisks.