Nowadays, account breaches are nothing new. From mass account hacks to targeted individual attacks, your account security could come under threat at any moment in ways unimaginable.
Last year 500,000 Zoom account credentials went on sale on the dark web for just a penny. Some were even available for free. But how did they end up there? Part of them bore no connection to Zoom and was traced back to passwords breached in 2013. This stands testimony to our poor password habits, such as reusing login credentials and using the same ones for a prolonged period, even when account security is compromised. It also demonstrates the elaborate schemes cybercriminals adopt to infiltrate personal accounts.
The bottom line is, a lackluster approach to password security and account protection could come back to haunt you in many different ways. So, taking effective steps to protect your accounts is pivotal to keeping your data secure.
1. Adopt a robust password policy
Protecting your accounts with login credentials is not as simple as setting up a password. If your passwords are weak, they will do little to keep your accounts safe. Weak passwords are responsible for 30% of ransomware infections. And according to studies, 55% of users do not change their passwords even after a breach. Needless to say, password security demands much more attention.
Here are some of the essential best practices for a robust password policy:
- Avoid using common phrases or personal details as your password. Popular passwords used today include “password” and dates of birth. These will not do much to keep your personal accounts protected from hackers.
- Opt for longer passwords that use random combinations of letters and numbers to make them difficult for others to guess.
- Use complex passphrases that include spaces to make guessing even harder.
- Adopt multi-factor authentication wherever possible. It will provide extra protection even when your password is compromised.
2. Install a password manager
Today, an average person has 70-80 passwords. This may sound a lot at first glance. But when you consider all the accounts you’ve opened over the years, from social media, email and shopping to banking and movie streaming, this might not seem much after all. But remembering them is always a challenge. It’s why many individuals have opted to reuse login credentials or write them down. But these practices could be detrimental to your account safety.
Password managers could be the perfect solution to avoid this challenge. These tools can create strong passwords for each of your accounts and store them securely on your behalf. And you get to access them all with a single login credential.
3. Avoid sharing account credentials
According to studies, 78% of people share some kind of password with their partners. And these sharing habits are also prevalent at work among colleagues and teams. But your account login details should remain confidential, limited to a single person’s use. Sharing them will substantially raise the risk of a breach.
4. Avoid linking accounts
Linking accounts to your social media or Gmail account is another common risk factor. It’s a practice often adopted to simplify the login process. For example, when you log in to your Facebook account, it could automatically give you access to several other linked accounts without the need to enter the password. This eliminates the hassle of remembering several account credentials and entering them each time you want to log in. But it could also provide hackers with access to multiple accounts with a single account breach.
5. Minimize personal accounts
Today, many businesses encourage account signups with the promise of free gifts, features, benefits, and discounts. It allows them easy access to user data, so they can monetize your web activities with curated messaging and promotions.
As a result, you could amass countless accounts and profiles during your lifetime. This would increase your data footprint and raise your chances of encountering an account breach. So, reducing the number of active accounts to a manageable few is critical for long-term data security.
6. Protect your devices
Many people do not log out from regularly used accounts, such as email and social media profiles. But this also means anyone with access to your device will have open access to your accounts as well. In other words, sharing your smartphone or keeping your computer unlocked could easily open up opportunities for an unwelcome intrusion. Device loss and theft could expose you to similar risks. So, keeping your devices safe is critical to keep your accounts secure.
7. Remain alert for red flags
While you focus on ramping up security, it is also essential to watch out for any warning signs of an account breach. Unusual email responses or missing social media posts could all signal a compromised account. Sometimes, they could point to more grave consequences. For instance, you may notice an unrecognized bank transaction in the event of a compromised bank account. A cybercriminal could also hack into your email account and launch a phishing attack on your friends and family. They may even take over your social media account and post defamatory messages to damage your reputation. The possibilities are limitless, so remaining alert is essential to minimize damage.
Conclusion
Today’s highly digitized environment has endowed us with countless personal accounts. They have become essential to how we communicate, shop, bank, and receive personalized service. It seems almost impossible to engage online anymore without having to sign up.
Of course, it could offer great convenience, ease, and efficiency. But it’s also exposing you to cyber threats at an increasing pace. Unwelcomed access to your personal accounts could often lead to financial loss, reputational damage, and, not to mention, the loss of privacy. So, adopting good password habits and ensuring security hygiene will be critical to remain safe and protect personal accounts in the future.
