Veronica Pace, Head of Marketing Trend Micro Italia, explains how passwords are the first line of defense against cybercriminals and the importance of creating secure ones.
The importance of having a “robust” password
A common mistake people make is using the same password for all their accounts. In fact, an online survey by Google found that at least 65% of people use identical passwords on multiple sites, if not on all. This means that passwords can be easily cracked and interestingly, according to the Verizon Data Leak Investigations Reportcompromised passwords are responsible for 81% of data leaks related to criminal activity.
Generate and manage strong passwords Do not use sequential letters and numbers (for example, qwerty, abcde, 12345, asdf). They are too common and easily guessed. Never use your date of birth as a password. It’s easy to remember, but it also makes a criminal’s job easier, especially if this information is available online. Combine letters, numbers and symbols (e.g. $, %, !) to form a password of at least eight characters. Seemingly random combinations will make your password more difficult to crack. Avoid using your name as a password. Fortunately, some websites are able to detect it and prevent its use. Don’t create a password that contains personal information, because cybercriminals can find it online. Here are some tips on how to remove your information from the web. Avoid using too common passwords, such as P@$$w0rd, password, 1234567890, ioveyou, etc. Stop reusing passwords. Each password created must be unique. Strong passwords can also be long passphrases in which several words are combined into a long string of characters (e.g. umbrellainbeachrain, pickleincase). It is important to also add numbers and symbols. Avoid changing a single character each time you update your password (e.g. MyG@laxyPassw0rd01, MyG@laxyPassw0rd02, MyG@laxyPassw0rd03) Use a password generator and password manager. Don’t write passwords in notebooks or on sticky notes. Effective passwords – Protect your identity and privacy
Good password management practices are essential to protecting your online security, but they are only one piece of the puzzle when it comes to safeguarding your identity and privacy. Trend Micro ID Protection is designed to safeguard identities, personal information, accounts, and browsing experience. The free version is a good way to get to know it and experience its protection and functionality. ID Protection not only creates, stores and manages strong, hard-to-crack passwords, but also offers the following security features:
• Send alerts when personal information is disclosed
• Protects against online threats, such as phishing scams
• Prevents sites from collecting data that compromises your privacy
• Safeguard social media accounts from hackers