In 2024 you should not use your pet’s name, ‘123456’ or ‘abc123’ as a password

The cybersecurity It is essential to protect our digital identities and data, and the first step is to identify vulnerabilities in our security practices. Poor password management is a clear example of this. Therefore, we must ask ourselves the question: “Why are passwords so important today?”

According to Bitdefender specialists, passwords act as guardians of our personal information and our online accounts, preventing unauthorized access to them. People go to great lengths to protect their homes and valuables from thieves in the physical world. They install high-tech security cameras, motion sensors and quality locks, invest in burglar alarms or add metal bars and grilles to prevent intruders from accessing their homes.

Things are no different in cyberspace. An intruder or cybercriminal wants to access your accounts, which hold valuable information and money. However, most of the time, the attacker will encounter little to no resistance and will benefit from easy and seamless access to your digital assets, all due to poor password management.

The latest survey carried out by Bitdefender indicates that password management is one of the weakest security points for consumers. About 37% of digital citizens say they write down their passwords, 15.8% use the same password for at least two accounts, and 18.7% reuse the same password for three or more accounts.

World Password Day is a reminder of the importance of creating and maintaining strong passwords to prevent misuse and account takeovers that could ruin your security and financial reputation. It’s important to adopt the best password habits and increase security to protect your online shopping, dating, banking, social media, or work accounts:

• Create strong passwords: Passwords that start with 16 characters are considered best.

• Always use a combination of upper and lower case letters along with numbers and symbols.

• Never use words found in the dictionary, your name, your pet’s name, your birthday, or the name of the school you attended or any of your family members. Passwords should not be easy to guess or include your name in any way, license plate numbers, social security numbers, or any other identifiable information.

• Make passwords unique for each online account.

• Always perform a password reset for accounts where you notice suspicious activity.

• Always change passwords if you receive a data breach notice or discover that your PII was part of a data breach.

• Avoid writing passwords on sticky notes and notebooks. Sticky notes in the office are not a viable solution for storing your passwords. Your visitors or colleagues could get hold of them. Notebooks and diaries can easily be lost and end up in the wrong hands.

• Add any additional layers of security to your accounts by always enabling 2FA and MFA.