15 Nov Password Security: All but Dead in the Digital Age

Feeling safe and secure about your passwords?

You might want to take a seat, because that is about to change.

How secure is your password? It might not matter anymore.

If you read only one article on password security this year, make it this one. In it, Mat Honan lays waste to the idea that passwords are anything but an inconvenience to hackers. After taking over his Apple, Twitter and Gmail accounts, hackers destroyed his digital life in the span of an hour. Documents, data — even pictures of his 18-month-old daughter were wiped out. Think it can’t happen to you? Think again.

Do you reuse the same password on multiple sites? Do you use “dictionary” words less than 16 characters in length? Do you have your email account linked to multiple accounts, such as Twitter and Facebook? When you need to reset a password, is that the same email address the notification goes to? I have news for you: you are vulnerable.

Learn some of Mat’s suggestions and tips to keep your data more secure, such as setting up double-authentication on your accounts when offered, setting up an email address exclusively for password resets that isn’t linked to anything else and the best way to answer those “personal” questions, such as, “What was your first car?” and “Where were you born?” Proficient hackers can usually answer these questions with a few strategic Google searches!

The article may be a bit lengthy, but it provides an eye-opening education into what it takes to keep your data secure, these days. Note that we aren’t suggesting you retreat from the web, just that you exercise a little more caution in what kind of information you publish and how securely you lock it down. Be safe!