Theta Android News: Why your passwords are probably terrible

Thursday, December 1, 2016

Why your passwords are probably terrible

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Online security concerns are at an all time high. Indeed, it's becoming the case that the field of security experts and ethical hackers is growing at a rate that far exceeds the number of applicants qualified for the available jobs.

Nevertheless, millions of users navigate this shark tank of nefarious cyber criminals every day with full confidence in their standard security measures. The problem? Their security measures frankly suck. And statistically, you're probably one of these people.

It's true. More than 50 percent of internet users pick terrible passwords that are downright dangerous and could lead to personal financial loss.

But the first step to solving any problem is admitting that one exists. So lets take a look at the few reasons why you are most likely not being wise with your login credentials.

You probably aren't particularly creative

One reason your passwords could be terrible is that you may think you are cleverer than you actually are.

Indeed, last year XATO cautiously released ten million passwords, and redditors quickly discovered that a simply mind-boggling number of users had the same ostensibly clever passwords.

Think 1qazxsw2 looks like a pretty secure password? Take a glance at your keyboard and think again.

Hundreds of thousands of people have come up with the same dumb trick.

Equally startling is the number of people who are still using their birthdates, anniversaries, or names of family members as passwords.

You probably suck at coming up with strong passwords

xkcd-passwords

If your idea of a strong password is [word][number], then I've got some bad news. You're at the very bottom of the barrel in terms of password security.

However, it might be the case that you're the smug type who incorporates leetspeak letter replacement and symbols into your passwords. As the above XKCD comic famously pointed out, you're not really doing much better.

The comic's creator Randall Munroe points out:

Through 20 years of effort, we've successfully trained everyone to use passwords that are hard for humans to remember but easy for computers to guess.

You probably use the same password on multiple accounts

The White Hat Hacker Bundle

This is the deadliest of sins. The majority of computer users employ the same password across most if not all of their accounts. The majority.

If you're in this category, that means that even if just one dumb account with a humor website is compromised, then your identity and bank account could follow suit before you can even say "hunter2".

These days, we use an increasing number of accounts for a variety of services. It's difficult to come up with new, strong passwords for every single one of these, so it's natural that so many people would fall back on an old standby.

This is, however, unspeakably insecure. Stop it.

How to stop being terrible at passwords

smartphone privacy security 4

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Honestly, you need help. Unless you only have a handful of social media accounts and an online banking service and you're able to create and mentally keep track of strong, unique passwords for each one of them, then the only way to get secure is to conscript assistance.

Sticky Password is an intriguing password manager that uses a robust random password generator and also autofills online forms without third-party cloud intervention. You can use the subscription service on virtually any device.

Sticky Password also supports biometric confirmation, meaning you can use your device's fingerprint scanner to authenticate your identity.

Although this service normally requires a monthly subscription, the company is currently offering lifetime access at an 80% discount for $29.99, a membership which normally costs $150. Definitely worth checking out.