Janice R. Andrews
Introduction
In the digital age, securing your online accounts has never been more critical. A recent alarming incident highlights this urgency: a hacker has just leaked nearly 10 billion passwords. This breach has sent shockwaves through the cybersecurity community, emphasizing the need for immediate action to protect your personal information.
The Size of the Violation
It’s not always necessary to have extensive experience finding vulnerabilities to gain access to an account. Sometimes all it takes is taking material that has been released and posting it somewhere else on the internet. This is the reason why it’s so risky to reveal large password collections, and why the current leak of about 10 billion passwords has raised concerns. Cybernews’ coverage on this incident, also known as RockYou2024, has been heavily reported. What’s the most important lesson learned? Everyone must immediately strengthen the security of their accounts.
The Reason This Is Important
Credential stuffing may find you easily if you haven’t updated the passwords on any compromised accounts, especially in the wake of significant breaches like the Ticketmaster incident in late May, or if you repeat passwords. This is the process by which cybercriminals utilize the credentials you disclosed online to determine which accounts they can access.
How to Protect Your Accounts
- Make Use of Strong, Uniform, and Random Passwords
It’s important to create strong, random, and distinctive passwords for every account. Select complicated and random character strings instead of easily guessed passwords. Instead of selecting “gu3$$this,” consider something like “pastaturnfriendlyamalgamation20.” - Establish a Password Organizer
It can be challenging to remember strong passwords, particularly when you have a lot of them to remember. Using a password manager will make it easier for you to remember and keep track of all of your passwords, even the longer, more difficult ones. While dedicated password managers come with greater capabilities, built-in password managers like Apple, Google, and Microsoft, as well as antivirus programs, can also be useful. Just remember to keep your email password separate in your memory. - Activate 2FA, or two-factor authentication.
Your accounts will be more secure if you use two-factor authentication, which makes it more difficult for hackers to access them. App-generated one-time passcodes strike a compromise between ease of use and security, but hardware dongles present a more robust alternative. 2FA makes sure that a user cannot log in without the second verification step, even if they know your password. - Switch to Passkeys
Although two-factor authentication makes password security stronger, certain techniques are still susceptible to phishing assaults. An even more secure option are passkeys. They cannot be phished, are memorized, and are intrinsically unique. Passkeys stop hackers from accessing the website or others, even if they manage to obtain a customer’s login credentials.
Last Words of Advice
It is highly advised to use passkeys instead of regular passwords wherever possible, as they demand far less thought and effort. Make sure your passkeys are well-backed up in case you misplace your PC or phone. Thankfully, saving passkeys is now supported by a number of popular password managers, offering a practical and safe alternative.
In summary
Strong internet security procedures are crucial, as demonstrated by the recent exposure of around 10 billion passwords. You may lower your risk of falling victim to cyberattacks by utilizing passkeys, enabling two-factor authentication, creating unique passwords, and setting up a password manager. Take immediate action to shield your online identity from the growing threat of cybercrime.
