Why Your Every Password Matters
A leaked password endangers your personal information and can lead to online identity theft. Read on to find out how.
A password is often the only thing that prevents web criminals from using your personal information for online identity theft. With access to your details they can commit account takeover and cause you serious financial damage. To make sure you don’t let them, you need to have strong password security.
Here are four reasons why your every password matters.
1. Passwords unlock your personal information online
In order to function properly, many internet accounts require us to fill in personal information, such as full name, home address, phone number and credit card number.
With the right password, criminals can access all the details in your online account. And these details are often just what they need to commit identity theft.
2. A reused password endangers all profiles it is used on
Most people use the same password in multiple profiles. In case a hacker gets your password, they will try it to access profiles that include credit card details, such as Amazon, eBay, Netflix, etc.
If you reuse passwords, a seemingly trivial profile getting breached is no joke. Using unique and strong passwords on every profile limits the damage of a data breach only to one account.
3. You are not the only one who knows your passwords
Probably no other person knows your password. But when you create an internet account, the password is stored in the service provider’s database, not on your own device. Unfortunately, you can’t prevent the service provider’s system from being breached.
When an internet service you use gets breached, the password you use in the service gets compromised. And there are new data breaches all the time.
4. Passwords can be stolen in many ways
In addition to data breaches, passwords can be stolen from your device with malware. Criminals can also use phishing scams, public Wi‑Fi networks and other tricks to lure you into giving them your passwords.
Many accounts include sensitive personal information, that can be used for identity theft. To guard your accounts, each of them needs to be protected with a different key. When one password is breached, the others are safe, and the risk of becoming an identity theft victim is much smaller. That is why your every password matters.
Content provided by F-Secure.
