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How to protect your password from hackers

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If You have a lot of sensitive data on your phone or laptop such as Documents, PDFs, Pictures, Files & other important folders. All these data should be password protected to prevent yourself from cyber-attacks & hackers.

The most common mistake, many of us do is that we create an easy-to-remember password. Research shows, 81% of password hacks involve weak or stolen passwords. Cyber Criminals are waiting to attack you, so it is really important to prevent your personal & sensitive data from cybercrimes by creating a strongly encrypted password.

Password attacks are of various types, but let’s go through the most common ones:

Dictionary Attack
It is the most common type of password attack used by hackers. Let’s see in simple words, what exactly is a Dictionary attack? Sophisticated attacks incorporate the most commonly used personal words that are important to the user such as your Date of Birth, School Name, Home Address, Surname, etc.

To prevent yourself from a dictionary attack, change your password after multiple password failures or lock your account. You can secure & protect your account from cyber-attacks by investing in a password manager.

Phishing
Have you ever received an email or message congratulating & confirming that you have won a lottery (which you have never applied) During this pandemic situation, many cyber attackers are misleading people in tricking them in clicking random links & downloading malware. For cyber thieves, it is an easy thing to do! Another example of phishing is sending fake official emails to companies in the form of customers & vendors.

Password Spraying
It is the most dangerous type of cyber-attack & you can be the next victim if you have a weak password. In simple words, Password spraying is attacking millions of accounts at once using the most commonly used passwords. This process takes time but it helps hackers to avoid multiple password login failures. It is extremely dangerous for users who use weak passwords for single sign-in or cloud-based authentication portals.

Keyloggers
Have you ever received a free software download option? Sometimes we believe it to be legit & download it on our laptop or phone. Keyloggers are malicious software that is designed in such a clever way that, it will monitor each & every keystroke of the system & report it back to the hackers. So, prevent yourself from a keylogging attack by not downloading any software from unknown links.

In recent years, to deal with the seemingly unsolvable password challenge, many companies and individual users have used password managers to help with their countless passwords. Others have tried passwordless authentication.

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Two-factor authentication

In response to these attacks, it has become common in recent years for email providers and social networks to offer two-factor authentication. This prompts users for an additional access point, such as a text message sent to a user’s personal cell phone when they try to log into their email.

However, this is not without its flaws as hackers have found ways to bypass this hurdle. The most common methods are SMS interception, when text messages are hijacked in transit, exploiting vulnerabilities in the mobile network or SIM swapping, when a hacker uses phishing and social engineering to collect personal data such as date of birth or address and then trick employees of the mobile network provider . redirect a subscriber’s phone number to the hacker’s SIM card.

In recent years, many companies and individual users have used password managers to overcome the seemingly insurmountable password challenge to help with their countless passwords.Others have tried passwordless authentication.

Biometrics authentication

Biometrics involves the use of fingerprints, face or retina scans to identify and grant access to a user. Today, they are most commonly seen on smartphones, allowing users instant fingerprint access. But they can also be used in mobile payment software or for building access.

The obvious advantage of biometrics is that they cannot be “guessed”. Each fingerprint is absolutely unique to the person, and this is useful for applications like two-factor authentication. For example, some cell phones can use fingerprints and passcodes to gain access.

5 Best Ways to protect yourself from password attacks:

  1. Create a strong & complex password that is impossible to guess by anyone. Find more tips on how you can create a better password.
  2. For different accounts, set different passwords. This prevents your other accounts from being hacked if the hacker has one of your passwords. This is because they will try the same password on multiple accounts.
  3. Avoid answering password reset questions on social media, because they will get access to all the answers, once they hack it.
  4. Always use Two-factor Authentication, as it adds an extra layer of protection & prevents your accounts.
  5. When your credentials have been compromised, it is really important to respond quickly. Report the issue immediately & change your password as soon as possible.
  6. IT Company’s professionals should proactively invest in Cyber Security. Cybersecurity helps in protecting the data & confidential information from Cyber Criminals, Hackers & Intruders. Internal Some Companies may prefer to set up a Cyber-Security Unit & while some prefer to Outsource it.

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Sennovate delivers custom identity and access management solutions to businesses around the world. With global partners and a library of 1000+ integrations, we implement world-class cybersecurity solutions that save your company time and money. We offer a seamless experience with integration across all cloud applications, and a single price for product, implementation, and support. Have questions? The consultation is always free. Email sales@sennovate.com or call us at: (925) 918-6618

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