It’s not as surprising as it seems to some users that the devices and information that they think is secured behind their backdoor passwords is actually vulnerable to the dangers on the web. Most hacking cases where users are posed to the risk of malware infection and phishing scams happen due to a compromised password. The most important point that users miss out on is that exclusivity and complexity of the password are very important for the purpose of reducing the risk of data loss and memory leaks.
How To Make Long Passwords Immune To Hacking?
Sometimes, people think that having long passwords is enough to deflate hacking attempts. But unethical hackers are way too smart to decode a long password that’s a simple combination of letters or alphabets. Besides, the misconception that only the length of the password matters results in cameras hacked and other IoT devices compromised. Nevertheless, there are some password tips that can reduce data security breaches and make all devices on the internet safer than usual.
- The password, alongside being long, should be unique. For example, a simple word like a cat can be written in a complex manner like 3@t or 3@20. Use such combinations to add to the uniqueness factor instead of using simple numbers or alphabets. In other words, the password should be a smart combination of letters, symbols, and numbers.
- The second most common mistake that makes passwords weak is the length. If you think that making a password unique but keeping it short is still safe, you’re wrong. Any password that is shorter than 8-12 characters is weak. Experts suggest that the ideal length and uniqueness of 20 characters is quite a challenging task for hackers to decode despite their smartness. Veiling your devices and accounts behind such passwords is one of the best cyber hygiene practice.
- Next comes the habit of using the same password again and again for different accounts. A long and unique password though makes devices much safer, but nothing is foolproof on the internet. If hackers get through the backdoor password somehow, then all the devices and accounts running on the same password will become vulnerable to exploitation. Thus, giving a unique but different password to all devices is a good damage-control practice.
- Yet another mistake that can actually result is password leaking is the habit of sharing it with other people. You should keep your password to yourself and also remember to log out of all the sessions on any device that’s not yours.