Subscribe
FREE EBOOK
Valid Email Required to receive free eBookSecurity Tips
Browse by Month
Browse by Category
Browse by Category
0
Published: Mar 04, 2010
Tags: adt, get hacked, home security, home security source, Personal Security, roboform, security passwords, social media
Tags: adt, get hacked, home security, home security source, Personal Security, roboform, security passwords, social media
Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert
Is this you? Are you a hacker’s delight? Are you a lazy lima bean begging to be hacked? Recently, there were 32 million passwords stolen last month from a social media site. Upon observation, researchers determined 1 percent of the 32 million people it studied had used “123456” as a password. The second-most-popular password was “12345.” Others in the top 20 included “qwerty,” “abc123” and “princess.”
In another breach thousands of email addresses and their passwords were phished by identity thieves and posted in an online forum. Researchers parsed the hacked passwords and broke them down into categories based on their level of security. For example some of the passwords were very weak “111111” “123456” “1234567” “12345678” “123456789” made the top list. Many of the stolen passwords were people’s first names which of course could be kids, spouses, etc. Obviously, anyone who uses an insecure password like this is more likely to get hacked due to their laziness and less than sophisticated approach to security. 60% of the passwords contained either all numbers or all lowercase letters.
Beefing up passwords using a password manager is much easier. Combine uppercase and lowercase letters, as well as numbers and characters. Don’t use consecutive letters or numbers, and never use names of pets, family members, or close friends. Instead use the first letters of phrases: Full moons on Saturday bring out whackos @12am!: is FmoSbow@12am! That’s a strong password that no sane person will enter manually. But a password manager makes it possible.
I’ve tried every possible password manager on the planet. There is only one that I have found to be incredibly efficient and secure. Roboform. This thing works great. I have it on 5 PCs and the iPhone and they all sync automatically.
Robert Siciliano personal security expert to Home Security Source discussing Hacked email on Fox News
About the Author
ROBERT SICILIANO, CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com is fiercely committed to informing, educating, and empowering Americans so they can be protected from violence and crime in the physical and virtual worlds. His "tell it like it is" style is sought after by major media outlets, executives in the C-Suite of leading corporations, meeting planners, and community leaders to get the straight talk they need to stay safe in a world in which physical and virtual crime is commonplace. Siciliano is accessible, real, professional, and ready to weigh in and comment at a moment's notice on breaking news.
ROBERT SICILIANO, CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com is fiercely committed to informing, educating, and empowering Americans so they can be protected from violence and crime in the physical and virtual worlds. His "tell it like it is" style is sought after by major media outlets, executives in the C-Suite of leading corporations, meeting planners, and community leaders to get the straight talk they need to stay safe in a world in which physical and virtual crime is commonplace. Siciliano is accessible, real, professional, and ready to weigh in and comment at a moment's notice on breaking news.
Similar Posts
- I Want to Punch Passwords in The Face
Robert Siciliano identity theft expert Passwords and forms harass and mock me every day of my life. Everywhere I go there is a big burly bouncer who is the password gatekeeper and he needs a beating. He won’t let me in or by the velvet ropes unless I know the secret code. Most of the time - Simplify and Secure Your Passwords
It seems that almost every site on the Web requires a password. At least twice a week, I get an email from someone who wants me to join yet another site, which requires yet another username and password. You can cop out and use the same username and password combination, but that’s always possible since some sites - Using Social Media Passwords With Critical Accounts
For some social networking sites, security is not a top priority. Some do not protect your data with the same vigilance you could expect from your bank, for example. Nor do social media require strong passwords. And if you use the same passwords for more critical sites, like webmail or online banking, having your social - email Addresses Hacked via a Botnet or Phished?
Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert Recently Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, Comcast and Earthlink announced thousands of email addresses and their passwords were phished by identity thieves and posted in an online forum. One report suggests the emails phished could be up to a million victims. Researchers parsed the hacked passwords and broke them down into categories based on - Is A Password Enough? A Closer Look at Authentication
Yahoo reported the theft of some 400,000 user names and passwords to access its website, acknowledging hackers took advantage of a security vulnerability in its computer systems. The Mountain View, California-based LinkedIn, an employment and professional networking site which has 160 million members, was hacked and suffered a data breach of 6 million of its clients