The 7 Deadly Sins of Password Management | Hacktech Beast

 Hey there,

I’d like to start this lesson with one simple question I’d like you to answer (to yourself) honestly:

Have you ever used the same password for more than one of your accounts ?

I know that, for most of us (if not for all of us), the answer is a shameful…YES.

I’ve done it too, because, if you think about it, we’ve never received a proper education for using the Internet. We wouldn’t let kids walk around without proper road safety education and we wouldn’t let drivers hit the road without knowing the rules. So why is it that we think that we can go online and put our entire lives there (personal AND professional) without being aware of the dangers? 

This lesson is a staple in your education about cyber security. And the lead character is that string of characters that shield our most prized information:

The mighty PASSWORD !

The problem is that the passwords we use are not that mighty. In fact, we should just admit they’re actually LOUSY.

Putting “12345678” between you and a sophisticated cyber criminal is CRAZY, don’t you think?

So it’s time you admit your sins and do something about them !

The 7 Deadly Sins of Password Management !

1) You shall not keep your passwords in a text file, spreadsheet, plain text or a similar, unprotected document !

Why ?  Because that flimsy file might get stolen, corrupted, deleted or, worse, retrieved by cyber criminals. I wouldn’t like to see you scramble to change 200 passwords as soon as possible if you ever got hacked.

2) You shall not use the default password sent to you by a service provider !

Why ? It’s simple: because those passwords are usually simple and, consequently, easily breakable. It would be like giving candy to a baby, like they say. And cyber criminals love both your passwords and (probably) candy.

3) You shall not use one of the shamefully weak passwords listed in this top 10 !

                123456

                123456789

                1234

                Password

                12345

                12345678

                Admin

                123

                111111

                1234567

Why ?  I think the passwords above are self-explanatory, don’t you?

4) You shall not use words that can be found in a dictionary or that are common phrases !

Why ?  Because cyber criminals have a method called “dictionary attack”. A dictionary attack is based on trying all the strings in a pre-arranged listing, typically derived from a list of words such as in a dictionary (hence the name). And dictionary attacks often succeed, exactly because many people use short passwords that include ordinary words or simple variants obtained, for example, by adding a digit or punctuation character.

5) You shall not use passwords that include your birth date or other information that’s easily available online !

Why ?  Because tracking down your personal information online is what gives cyber criminals a field day. Even if you have your privacy settings pushed to the max, there’s always a way around them for a guy that hacks confidential information for a living.

6) You shall not use the same password without changing it for a long period of time !

Why ?  Because passwords, just like the ice-cream in your fridge, have an expiration date. An old password may be easy to crack and there’s a lot that can go downhill from there. Keeping things fresh can keep trouble off your track.

7) You shall not use the same password twice ! This is a big one. Seriously !

Why ?  This is one of the CAPITAL mistakes we all make when it comes to password management. Using the same password for more than one account (and usually making it an easy one) means that cyber criminals will get access to MORE accounts at once, and they’ll be able to steal MORE data and do MORE damage!

Imagine if they cracked the password to your online banking account. And that password would be used for your email account as well. Can you envision the impact of an attack on your personal finances, and on your professional and personal life ?

If that thought made you shudder, let’s see what you can do about it.

Here’s how cyber criminals try to break your passwords

This is a very quick run through the methods that cyber criminals use to break your passwords and get access to your private information :

                    1) Phishing

                    2) Keylogging

                    3) Social engineering

                    4) Malware-based attacks

                    5) Brute-force attacks

                    6) Database hacking

Thanks For Reading !