Today, the average person spends a considerable amount of time online every day. From studying to chatting with friends, viewing TV, shopping, banking, etc., there’s no limit to the number of tasks we can accomplish online. We generate lots of data when using the internet, which we protect with a password. The number of passwords the average user has to manage has increased significantly over the years.
Estimates show that the typical internet user has roughly 100 passwords today. That’s a lot of information to remember. As a result, many users resort to easily guessable passwords that they can remember easily. In many cases, people will even use the same password for different online accounts, making it easy for hackers to execute data breaches.
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Guide to Secure Passwords and Logins
Your password is the first line of defense against a wide range of online threats. As such, your login credentials should be protected at all costs. You should strive to make your passwords hard to crack and ensure that they are stored safely. Here are a few measures you can take to ensure that your passwords are secure and effective.
Use Strong, Unique Passwords
According to cybersecurity experts, the use of strong passwords is one of the best ways to secure your private data. However, not many people follow this recommendation because it’s hard to remember strong, unique passwords for every website. Your password should have a minimum of 12 characters and contain uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.
Use Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
MFA offers the option to include an additional step between entering your password and gaining access to your online account. If biometrics is an option, use it. Newer devices allow you to use fingerprint, face, palm, and other biometric information to log in. Your email, online banking, social media, etc., are less likely to be compromised if you use MFA.
Use a Password Manager
A password manager stores all your usernames and passwords for you. It allows you to create strong, complex passwords for all the websites you use without memorizing every one of them. You only need to remember one password. A password manager offers one of the most effective ways to increase password security and protect your data from cybercriminals.
Additional Security Tools to Increase Password Security
There are a few online security tools you can use to improve the security of your password. One of them is a Virtual Private Network or VPN. A VPN uses encryption to protect your connection from malicious threat actors lurking on the internet, especially when using public Wi-Fi. With a VPN, all your data, including passwords and usernames, is encrypted.
Conclusion
Data security has become a massive problem for internet users over the years. The good news is that you can take plenty of steps to reduce the risk of a data breach or some other type of attack. One of them is using a secure password. So follow the steps outlined above to improve the security of your passwords and protect your data online.