Strong Password Ideas to Keep Your Information Safe

Password protection is one of the most common security protocols available. By creating a unique password, you are both proving your identity and keeping your personal information safer. However, when every account you have requires a separate password, it can be an overwhelming task. While you should be concerned about the safety of your data, you also want to avoid the frustration of forgetting your password and being blocked from the information you need. However, the benefits of using strong, unique passwords outweigh the occasional inconvenience.

Benefits of Strong Passwords

The main benefit of a strong password is security. Hackers work quickly when they are trying to access accounts. They want to steal as much information as they can in as short a time as possible. This makes an account with a strong password less inviting because cracking the code is much more involved.

A strong password also limits the damage that hackers can do to your personal accounts. A common strategy involves cracking the passwords of less secure sites with limited personal information. The hackers hope that they can use the password from your gym membership app to access information in your online banking account. Strong password protection prevents this situation.

Common Poor Password Practices

When someone is registering an online account, it can be tempting to blaze through the password process. In order to move quickly, there are several poor password practices that people employ.

• Simple passwords: Password-cracking programs start by entering obvious combinations. These are passwords where the user puts no thought into the code such as “password” or “1234567”.
• Repeated passwords: You may think you have such an unbreakable password that you want to use it for all of your accounts. However, this means that if hackers compromise one of your accounts, all of your other accounts are vulnerable.
• Personal information: The number combinations that you are apt to remember easily are the ones that hackers can find. You may have put your birthday or graduation year on public display in a social media account. Your dog’s name may be unusual, but if you share information about your canine friend with the world, its name is a weak password.

The Meaning of a Strong Password

A password is considered strong when it is difficult for a hacker to crack it quickly. Sophisticated algorithms can run through many password combinations in a short time. A password that is long, complex and unique will discourage attempts to break into your accounts.

• Long: The combinations that protect your accounts should be long enough that it would be difficult for a computer program to run through all the possible configurations. The four-digit pin on a bank card has 10,000 possible combinations. This might take some time for a human being to crack, but a computer program with unlimited tries could break it in a few seconds. If you were only using numbers, every character in your password would raise the possible combinations by a power of 10. To stump the algorithms, you want a password that is a minimum of 12 characters long.
• Complex: To increase the challenge of your password, it should have a combination of uppercase letters, lowercase letters, symbols and numbers. Hacking algorithms look for word and number patterns. By mixing the types of characters, you will break the pattern and keep your information safe.
• Unique: If you have been reusing your passwords, it is time for you to start the work of changing them. Every one of your accounts should have its own password. At the very least, make certain that you have not reused passwords for your financial institutions, social media accounts and any work-related accounts.

Creating a Layered Password

If you want a password that is memorable but strong, you can easily turn a phrase into a layered, complex password. In this process, it is important to note that you should not use personal information that is available online as part of your phrase.

• Pick a phrase that is memorable for you: It should not be a phrase you commonly use on social media accounts. If you are an avid runner you might choose a phrase like, “Running 26.2 Rocks!”
• Replace letters with numbers and symbols: Remove the spaces. Then, you can put symbols and numbers in the place of some of the letters. Runn1ng26.2R0ck$!
• Include a mix of letter cases: Finally, you want both lower and uppercase letters that are not in a clear pattern. Algorithms know how to look for common patterns like camelCase or PascalCase. Runn1NG26.2R0cK$!

Now, you have a password that you can remember while challenging the algorithms hackers use.

Employing a Password Manager

When you consider the number of accounts you need to protect, coming up with a properly layered password is a time-consuming task. Even if you are able to decide on a memorable phrase, there are just too many accounts that need passwords. A password manager is a helpful tool to keep you safe while you are online. It acts as a database for all of your passwords. Each time you create a new code, it stores it so that you can automatically enter it later. You only need to remember a single password to access the tools of your manager.

Most managers can also do the work of creating complex, layered passwords for your accounts. These will be a string of random numbers, letters and characters. They will not be memorable, but you are relying on the manager to do the memorizing. These machine-generated passwords are especially helpful for accounts you rarely access or that do not hold significant information.

Maintaining an Offline Password List

For critical accounts like your bank account or a work-related account, it can be helpful to keep an offline list of your passwords. Complex passwords are meant to be difficult to remember. You may recall the phrase but not all the detailed changes that make it layered. Keeping a document on a zip drive or even in a physical paper file or journal will allow you to access your information if your hardware fails or you are switching to a new system.

Keeping the Whole System Safe

Cracking passwords is just one of the strategies hackers use to steal information. In addition to using strong passwords, it is important to employ comprehensive security software. Strong passwords will help protect your online accounts. Strong overall security will keep your hardware and network safe from danger.

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How to Live a Digital Life Free of Spyware

Spyware is tricky. Some types notify users that they’re monitoring activity. Others function in stealth mode and use the information they collect for nefarious purposes. Spyware is a type of software that collects data about online users and reports it to a company or an individual. What just about everyone can agree on is that anonymous browsing is looking more and more appealing and is likely the way of the future.  

Here’s more about the types of spyware, which types are legal, and how you can scrub your device and live more confidently online. 

Types of Spyware 

Here are a few types of spyware and facts about each: 

 Keyloggers 

Is it legal? Definitely not! 

What is its purpose? Criminal 

Keyloggers are the most intrusive of the spyware variations. It does exactly as its name suggests: It takes note of keyboard strokes, logs them, and reports to the owner of the nefarious software. Once the cybercriminal has digitally looked over your shoulder at your online activity, they make note of your passwords, walk into your online accounts, and pilfer your private personal information. They could use this information to gain entry to your online bank accounts or steal your identity. 

Keyloggers are downloaded onto devices (cellphones, tablets, laptops, or desktop computers) without the user’s knowledge. Cybercriminals can hide them within email attachments or in malicious web pages. So, the best way to steer clear of keyloggers is to never download attachments you’re unsure about and don’t visit sites that seem unprofessional. One rule of thumb is to mostly stick to URLs that begin with https and include a lock icon. These sites are almost always secure. 

To determine if your device is infected with a keylogger, check your system’s performance. Is your device running slowly? See if there are any spikes in activity or unknown programs running in the background. This could indicate that your device is hosting a malicious program. 

Adware 

Is it legal? Sometimes 

What is its purpose? Advertising and criminal 

Adware is categorized as a type of spyware. It tracks users’ online activity and spits out targeted pop-up advertisements. If you have the pop-up blocker enabled on your browser, you’ll likely be spared from the annoyance. Additionally, pop-ups can slow your device, so that’s another reason to turn on the pop-up blocking feature. Legitimate adware often asks users to opt into targeted ads. 

Adware turns malicious (and illegal) when it contains malware. Sometimes cyber criminals hide malware within pop-ups. It’s easy to accidentally hit a link within a pop-up when you’re aiming quickly for the X to close it. 

It’s easy to spot a device with an adware infestation. First, the number of pop-ups will be out of control. Also, the device will crash often, run very slowly, and have a short battery life. An antivirus program will likely be able to identify and remove the culprit. You can also check out your system monitor and end tasks that are draining your device’s power. 

Cookies 

Is it legal? Yes 

What is its purpose? Advertising 

Cookies are delicious, especially to advertisers who use them to better target ads and make profits selling collected user data to third-party companies. Cookies are sometimes categorized as spyware, because they log the websites you visit and report them. You may notice the banners on websites that ask you to accept cookies. 

Many users today are uneasy with sharing their online activity with strangers and advertisers. Sometimes the ads that pop up on your social media feed or in sidebars seem a little too targeted and it feels like someone is listening in to your conversations and attempting to make a profit from them. 

How to Browse Free of Spyware 

To scrub cybercriminals from your devices and confuse advertisers, consider the following steps you can easily add to your daily routine: 

1. Clear your cache periodically. This is a quick way to delete all the cookies from your device. It also helps if your device is running slowly. Clearing your cache deletes your browsing history, meaning that you won’t be able to type in your usual shortcuts to your most-visited sites and the browser won’t automatically auto-fill the rest of the URL or remember your passwords. Consider making bookmarks of your favorite sites for quick access and entrust your passwords to a password manager that will remember them for you. 
2. Know how to spot phishing attempts. Cybercriminals often hide their spyware within phishing texts and emails, so it’s key to know how to spot them. Phishers trick users into acting quickly, either through scare tactics or fake exciting news, to download attachments or give up personal information. Luckily, phishing attempts usually aren’t too difficult to identify and delete immediately. Did you enter a contest lately? No? Then why would someone get in touch saying you’re a winner? Also, phishing messages are often full of typos and poor grammar. Before you click any links in an email, hover your cursor over it to see where the URL will take you. If it has typos, is filled with a long string of letters or numbers, or doesn’t match the site the message says it’ll redirect you to, delete it. 
3. Browse in incognito mode. Browser sallow users to toggle incognito mode to use the internet anonymously. Once users exit incognito mode, all of their browsing history and the cookies collected during the session are deleted. Incognito mode, though effective against cookies, does not combat keyloggers or aggressive adware.  
4. Use a VPN. A virtual private network (VPN) is even more secure than incognito mode. It completely scrambles your online data, making it impossible for a spy to hack into your device if you’re connected to a public wi-fi network. A VPN doesn’t stop cookies, but the geographic information they report may be incorrect. 
5. Sign up for antivirus software. A comprehensive online protection software suite that includes antivirus software, such as McAfee Total Protection, can boost your confidence in your online safety. It can scan your phone, tablet, or computer for viruses or malware and automatically logs you into a VPN for secure browsing. 

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