Your lazy password will get you hacked!

How many times do we have to be told before we believe it…. There are bad people out there that want to steal your data, your money and your identity on the internet. I am as guilty as the next. Sitting in the comfort of my home looking around, I tend to overlook that I have security issues right at my fingertips. Some have taken the ostrich approach and put their heads in the sand and think it will go away if I don’t see it, but what happens if it is brought to your desktop? Your mess is now so much greater! Let’s take a look at some easy ( non scary ) things you can keep in mine to keep yourself safe in the technology era.       • Avoid using short, easy-to-guess words or phrases.

"Password" should be a word that we don’t even have to talk about, but every year it still shows up on the top used passwords list, along with 123456.  The dangers of this list is that even as we read it and think, “ Oh that is so obvious.” Somewhere, someone is typing one of these in to use as their password.   "Unfortunately, while the newest episode may be a fantastic addition to the Star Wars franchise, ‘starwars' is a dangerous password to use," said SplashData CEO Morgan Slain. "Hackers are using common terms from pop culture and sports to break into accounts online because they know many people are using those easy-to-remember words."    • Dont use the same password for multiple sites.We are all creatures of habit and who wants to remember all those passwords? Just remember if someone could get into one of your sites it is possible they can get into them all. Remember your identity to them is often more valuable than the $328.53 you have in your bank account. Memorizing unique passwords for dozens of accounts ain’t easy, though, so storing passwords in a password manager is highly suggested.  If you must write them down, don’t keep them near your computer and most especially, DO NOT LABEL it … “This is my bank password.” See above for OBVIOUS.    • Be careful when you answer those “getting to know you” posts online Think about it.  Some of these questions could not only be your password, but they can also be linked to your security questions.  How many times have they asked you about your favorite color? First pet? Town you grew up in? Don’t think that just getting the best password will secure your accounts. Hackers are smart and finding more and more ways of getting the information they want. They are trolling media sites looking for this information. Sometimes though our intentions may be innocent, we hand it to them on a silver platter.

I think what is most important to remember is that you can never be 100% secure but you sure take a number of different steps to make sure you are as secure as you can be.