Password strength is important to avoid identity theft and hacking. Common mistakes include using obvious choices like names or birthdays. Hackers use brute force programs with lists of username and password combinations, but some websites protect themselves by requiring strong passwords. Using the same password on multiple sites is dangerous.
Password strength is a measure of how difficult a person’s password is to figure out. People generally improve password strength by avoiding obvious password choices or by adding numbers and letters to existing passwords. A poor password can lead to identity theft and hacking of Internet accounts. Some websites require certain elements to ensure that a person’s password is secure enough.
When setting up a password, many people make obvious mistakes, like using their own name or the names of loved ones. Another common password security mistake is when people use their birthdays or memorable number sequences like 1234. Many hackers use some of the more common password choices when trying to access people’s Internet accounts, so when a person uses one of these passwords, are generally taking a risk.
Hackers often use a so-called “brute force” program when hacking into someone’s account. Brute force hacks use lists of username and password combinations. Sometimes a hacker may have a list of more than 10,000 passwords and usernames in any given list. The program will try all these passwords and usernames in combination with each other. In many cases, the hackers will get lucky and some passwords will work, giving them access to someone’s private account information.
Sites that are frequently hacked will often try to set up protections. Sometimes they will be sensitive to multiple failed attempts to log in from a particular location. When that happens, they can ban that person’s position temporarily or permanently. Some brute-force hackers use proxy sites, which give the appearance of trying to log in from many different locations, and this can sometimes defeat this type of protection.
Some websites protect themselves from password hacking by forcing their members to accept a strong chosen password. Others may require their members to include a combination of digits and letters to ensure that the password is relatively unique. Some people don’t like these types of restrictions, because strong passwords can be harder to remember.
One thing that can be dangerous is using the same password on too many websites. If a person has a single password that they use too frequently, a hacker can take the password from a successful attempt and use it on other Web sites, gaining access to more of the individual’s private information. For this reason, it is generally considered wise to use a different password for each site a person visits, particularly if the site contains important private information or if it could allow someone to access a person’s funds.
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