Whatever you do, make sure your password isn’t on the latest list of 'the most hacked passwords' published every year by the security experts at Dojo.
By some estimates, 30,000 websites are hacked worldwide every single day. That’s a lot of stolen files, credit card details, emails, and more. As such, the need for a tough-to-crack password has never been greater as cyber experts share warnings for thousands of internet users, like NordVPN which offers a free password manager.
According to the latest damning list from Dojo, the most common (easily hacked) passwords include nicknames, followed by terms of endearment like 'iloveyou', which have both been the cause of more than one million hacks across Dojo's study. Proof that no matter how unique you think your password is it's vital to have an extra layer of online protection in place.
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Characters from favourite TV shows, colours, fashion brands, and countries were also revealed to be in the top ten when it comes to the 20 most commonly hacked categories. Passwords that only consist of lowercase letters with no symbols were also high up on the easy-to-crack list as well as those with fewer characters.
Although a number variation may seem hard to figure out, it's one of the most commonly opted-for combinations of passwords and their popularity alone makes codes of this type easier to crack by hackers. In Dojo's study, more than 190,000 people go for one of these.
The team go on to say that anyone using one of the top ten password patterns is at a higher risk of being hacked as it allows hackers to reduce the number of combinations needed to access data.
The biggest warning and number one on the list of top ten are lowercase passwords, followed by numbers and a combination of lowercase letters and digits with less than eight characters.
As Dojo explains: "It’s important to note that hackers are most likely aware of these popular patterns and passwords, making them even quicker to hack.
"Combined with public social media profiles or personal information that’s been made available online (think birthdays, favourite holidays, pet names), hackers have the potential to gather enough information to make educated password guesses.
"So, if you’re wanting to create a new password, try to make it more than 12 characters long, contain a capital letter or special characters and don't relate to any memorable events or personal details."
As the majority of day-to-day things move online the risks of being hacked or having important details stolen are only increasing, especially as cashless payments and things like online banking progress.
Whilst increased phishing attacks, malware and scammers can make any online content feel unsafe there are a host of things internet users can do to add an extra layer of protection. And it'll suit smartphone users, desktop owners, smart watches, laptops and tablet owners.
It's simple, downloading an online VPN also known as a virtual private network.
VPNs like NordVPN and Express VPN are able to block out hackers by using encryption, which will protect users both at home on their own private network and whilst out and about on public wifi. Prices start from as little as £1.49 a month and rise up to £2.19 a month for a family plan.
