Written by Syan Bateman

Welcome to the first of our short, four part series on password protection, which looks at everything from how your passwords get hacked to how to keep them safe. 

Your confidential documents are only ever as secure as your weakest link. This is often the social element, which is why techniques such as phishing, and targeting weak passwords are very common.

Strong passwords are one of the first steps to robust cyber security, especially as they’re used across the internet, from your bank account to your social media. They’re your first line of defence, so how do you make sure you can protect yourself?

How you get hacked

Knowing how you get hacked will help you know what mistakes to avoid. 

Passwords are often hacked with a dictionary attack. These are huge libraries (or dictionaries) that contain simple and common passwords (such as qwerty or 123456), dictionary words, slang terminology and common misspellings, then use software to attempt to plug them into the password field. 

If that fails, hackers can click the ‘forgot password’ link, where most sites use security questions to validate your identity. However, these answers are often found on social media, and don’t take much looking to find. 

Hacked passwords can also be found online, and you can check whether any of your passwords has been leaked from sites such as https://haveibeenpwned.com/. Most people reuse passwords on multiple sites, so if hackers gain access to one, they will use it to gain access to your email, social media, or bank accounts. 

For more information on how to stay safe online, or to request DPO services, please send us an email at info@bivika.com.