Is Your Password Really Protecting You?

-IS YOUR PASSWORD REALLY PROTECTINGYOU? Passwords Evolved As A Military Strategy Before computers, passwords were used by soldiers in WWII. U.S. paratroopers used passwords and counter passwords as unique methods of identification on D-Day and the Battle of Normandy in 1944 flash Counter passwords were in challenge-and-response format (Example: Commanders would say flash, and then soldiers would respond thunder) thunder During WWII, passwords and counter passwords changed every 3 days 72 HOURS Passwords as we know them today were not invented until 1972, and did not come into use until 1974. Invented by: Robert Morris Your Privacy Is Largely Dependent On Password Protection ATM PIN • Cell Phone Passcode Computer Access • Email Account • Online Banking • WiFi Network Key Social Media Accounts Security System Alarm Code All Password Protected Websites Multiple Passwords Are A MUST! The average person regularly visits 25 password protected sites BUT only uses 6 different passwords. 73% 33% of people use the same of people use the same password for multiple sites password for EVERY site 32 62 of people save passwords of smartphone owners and other login information do NOT use a passcode on a cell phone to secure their phone Most People Use Weak Passwords Complicated passwords are the key to protection and are much harder to hack. 4% 25% min of people use the of the top 20 most An expert hacker can crack word “password" common passwords, the average password in as their password are first names under 3 minutes 5% 30% 6. of men use their of women use their The average partner's name in partner's name in password is 6 passwords passwords characters and all lowercase letters Top 10 Weakest Passwords Of 2012 6. monkey 7. letmein 1. password 2. 123456 3. 12345678 8. dragon 4. abc123 9. 111111 5. qwerty 10. baseball The Do's an Don'ts of Creating a Secure Password THE DO'S ******** Make your password 8 characters or more Anything less than this is considered weak 2 ABC abc 123 @$& Use a mix of all 4 character types Uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and special characters 3 e.g. YouOweMe$4Gas Choose a password you'll remember A strong password won't do you any good if you forget it often 4 VERY STRONG Test your password Many secure sites will tell you the strength of your password and/or make suggestions on how it could be made stronger 888.987.6543 Set up a password recovery method Mobile phone is the best method since it is in your physical possession 6. 2xs / year Change your password twice a year THE DON'TS Use public information Your name, birthday, kids' names, spouse's name, anniversary, etc. are all public record and cyber criminals look to these for hints Use complete words Passwords that use full words are significantly easier to crack Write your password down Avoid writing your password down on paper, especially on post-it notes. If you must write it down, use hints rather than the entire password Use the same password for multiple accounts It makes you a one stop shop for cyber criminals Log in to your private accounts on public computers The information could be saved, or you could forget to log out Tell anyone your password Your passwords should be known by you and only you Always create strong passwords to protect yourself from cyber criminals. For more online safety tips, visit Instant Checkmate! checkmate Find the truth about anyone SOURCES freeauth.org | creativecartels.com | gcflearnfree.org arstechnica.com | techi.com | us.protectyourbubble.com LO