Myth or reality: Does a strong password really stop people from accessing their accounts?

Ensuring online security is a very important task these days; after all, most current financial transactions are carried out digitally. Whether to protect your social media accounts or to strengthen the security of your bank account, A secure password is extremely important to help people protect themselves against threats on the internet..

But there are still many people who use weak passwords and/or don’t believe it. passwords It is extremely important to ensure online security. First of all, we can already say that a secure password is not a myth and can keep your accounts safer; It’s no surprise that the United States Department of Homeland Security and the National Cybersecurity Alliance have teamed up to create National Cybersecurity Month, held annually in October.

You can provide greater protection against unauthorized access by creating a more complex password. Thus, your confidential information will be better protected against malicious people who may try to access your accounts.

TecMundo gathered information from experts on the subject to clarify whether using a strong password actually prevents people from accessing their accounts. Check out!

A strong password offers greater security

Although there are many software that increase the security of devices, A strong password is considered the first line of defense against unauthorized access to your personal information. Therefore it is important not to use it. passwords weak or recurring, something that occurs over and over again among people all over the world.

According to a study conducted by NordPass VPN, many people have more than 100 passwords for different accounts, so most of these passwords are easy to remember; This number increased during the pandemic, when people started using the internet more frequently. But, This also makes it easier for criminals to discover. passwords accessing personal accounts and committing crimes in this way.

“We now partially understand why people use easy-to-guess passwords; there are only so many passwords to remember. So it’s no surprise that people use very simple passwords or have several and reuse them for all their accounts,” explains NordPass VPN Security expert.

The 5 most used passwords in the world, according to NordPass VPN:

• 123456
• executive
• 12345678
• 123456789
• 1234

The 5 most used passwords in Brazil:

• executive
• 123456
• 12345678
• 102030
• 123456789

In a study conducted among internet users in the United States in 2019, Google and Harris Poll company found that three out of four Americans had difficulty keeping track of their passwords. After all, storing many difficult passwords is not as simple as it seems.

In summary, a strong password is an extremely important measure to increase the security of your accounts, but it is not a guarantee that third parties will not access them. Your protection also depends on securing your device, two-step authentication, responsible internet use, and other practices.

Tips for creating secure passwords

It is important to emphasize that a good password must be thought of in a unique way. Don’t use the same or similar passwords which is easy. Otherwise, a malicious person could compromise multiple accounts using the same password. So the first tip is this: Use different passwords for each of your services, whether for social networking or access to the bank.

5 tips to create a secure password

• Use long passwords of 12 or more characters;
• The balance between uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols is ideal for creating a stronger password;
• Do not use personal information such as date of birth or name in the password;
• Enable two-step authentication on all accounts if possible;
• Your password is personal, so share it only when necessary.

If you have more than one account and need to use many passwords when using your smartphone, computer or tablet, A great tip is to use a password management app. If you don’t want to save your passwords with an administrator, you can also use memorization techniques to remember all the keywords. A good strategy for remembering passwords is to use them constantly.

Remember that it’s not just a password that defines your security; criminals may use other methods to discover this.. For example, they may use malware to infiltrate your computer and steal your personal data, but your password is still one of the most important factors in keeping your accounts safe.

Stay up to date with the latest technology news at TecMundo. If you wish, take the opportunity to learn how to block WhatsApp conversations with password or biometrics.