Top FIVE ways hackers steal passwords
Find out the Top FIVE ways hackers steal passwords and the Top TEN ways to protect yourself.
Passwords allow access to your online banking, email and social media, cloud storage, Netflix and Uber accounts… the list goes on.
With working logins, a hacker could:
- Steal your personal identity information and sell it.
- Sell the login access to the account itself.
- Use passwords to unlock other accounts (if you use the same password).
Top FIVE ways hackers steal passwords
Phishing - hackers pretend to be legitimate entities: like friends, family, and companies you’ve done business with etc. The email or text you get will look authentic, but includes a malicious link or attachment which, if clicked on, will download malware or take you to a page to fill in your personal details.
Malware – this can be downloaded by clicking on a malicious advert online, visiting a compromised website or even hidden in a legitimate-looking mobile app.
Credential stuffing – hackers feed large volumes of previously breached username/password combinations into automated software. The software then tries these across large numbers of sites, hoping to find a match.
Guess – Did you know, the most common password of 2020 was “123456”, followed by “123456789”. Coming in at number four was the one and only “password”.
Eavesdropping - hackers sitting on public Wi-Fi connections to snoop on your password as you enter it in, while connected to the same hub.
Top TEN ways to protect yourself
- Use only strong and unique passwords
- Avoid reusing your login credentials across multiple accounts
- Switch on two-factor authentication
- Use a password manager
- Change your password immediately if your data may have been breached
- Only use HTTPS sites for logging in
- Don’t click on links or open attachments in unsolicited emails
- Only download apps from official app stores
- Invest in security software
- Never log on to an account if you’re on public Wi-Fi
Contact our Security Risk Management Consultants for help with your risk assessment.
Contact us today. For further information please Call 1300 566 379 or Email
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