IS YOUR PASSWORD COMPROMISED?

The Collection #1, The Biggest Batch Of Stolen Emails and Passwords in History 

 

Recently published over several popular sites, this massive haul of data is most likely being used for "credential stuffing" attacks, where hackers run programs which automatically attempt to break into accounts using a large number of matched username and passwords. What to Do? 

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1. Check if your passwords have been leaked on the Internet at https://haveibeenpwned.com/Passwords. 

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2. If your code word is part of the 552 million compromised passwords, change your passwords to all your online accounts by choosing a good password management solutions like 1Password, Dashlane, and LastPass. These applications don't just store your passwords securely; they can also audit your password vault to see whether you have made the mistake of reusing the same password on different accounts. 

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3. Make sure that you are using different passwords for all of your accounts. When you need a new password get your password manager to choose it for you (they'll choose some long and complicated gibberish that you won't be able to remember - that's good! It's your password manager's job to remember it, not you). 

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4. Last, check how secure is your password. 

 

STRENGTHEN YOUR PASSWORD 

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1. Passwords can be easily cracked. It will take a hacker using a high-powered server the following time to break into your stuff: 

2. 6 characters: 0.02 seconds 

3. 6 characters + symbol: 1.26 minutes 

4. 10 characters: 10.45 hours 

5. 11 characters: letters + numbers: 1 month 

6. 12 characters: letters+#s+ symbol: 200 years 

7. What NOT to use: consecutive numbers, your pet's name, your family name, etc. 8. What to Use: phrases or things not related to you or your family combined with numbers & a least one symbol. 

 

HOW DO I PROTECT MYSELF FROM CYBER ATTACKS?