SDC Rewards Member
Upgrade yours now
J
.png){kind=icon}
Beat the Hackers, Safeguard your Passwords
A recent report has revealed that about 78 per cent of the country’s most popular online passwords can be cracked by hackers in mere seconds, hence putting a lot of Australians at risk.
Daniel Markuson, digital privacy expert at NordVPN, said that the public should learn not to place convenience over privacy, because there may be huge consequences, such as breach of privacy, information, and even financial resources.
In fact, Australians were reported to have lost a total of $323.7 million dollars to scams and identity theft in 2021 alone, given that last year, phishing and online scams went up to a whopping 62 per cent.
That’s why we’re making it a point to remind you, folks, to take care of your account passwords. Because once your data has been breached, it’s going to take a whole lot to get it back.
So, here are some tips on how to make your passwords as strong as possible!
Australians are taking risks with their online security. Credit: Elise Amendola/AP.
Don’t use the same password across multiple sites.
Almost everyone these days has at least three or more social media accounts, that’s why we understand if you’re among those who are using the same password for everything. We get it, it’s a whole lot easier to remember!
However, doing this can also put you at a greater risk for privacy breaches.
Val Quinn, a tech expert at Sunrise, said that this is one of the biggest mistakes people admit to making when creating accounts online.
So, never reuse your passwords, folks! Even if a website’s privacy has been breached or one of your passwords has been leaked, your other accounts will still be protected from hackers if you made them with a different password.
If you are having a hard time keeping up with all the different passcodes from different websites, you can try using a password manager or have a handy notebook where you keep all of your passwords. Make sure only you have access to it, too!
Instead of a password, use a passphrase.
Quinn added that since hackers have unique technology that can forcibly guess passwords, opting for longer phrases instead of a single word would increase your protection.
Another tip to remember is: the longer and more complex the passcode is, the better!
You can try creating a combination of six to seven random words (you can even include numbers and capital letters) that does not necessarily mean anything, such as RedSixTiger65ColesBoxesShare. It can be more difficult for hackers and their software to guess, but you also have to make sure that you remember it.
Or you can also use mnemonics. For example, to convert the sentence “I love to eat pizza with friends for fun!” into a formidable passcode, you can write “1L2epwf4F!” instead. This may be a bit more difficult to memorise and pull off, but you can always write it down.
Avoid using your personal information.
Since some websites use authentication questions to verify a user’s identity, using your personal information as passcodes may allow hackers to easily bypass your security.
We must advise our members to take extra caution when browsing the internet and clicking on links online, as there have been a lot of scams floating around recently, just like the recent Coupon65 scam we have encountered that is clearly targeting Australians over the age of 60.
To know more about what type of scams to look out for and how to protect yourself from them, check out one of our stories here.
