A few days back, the Data Privacy Day has been one of the most awaited days for many Filipinos. Not only do they get the chance to be assisted in heightening the security of their digital accounts; they also get to learn a too few things about digital security they’ve never before.
According to some data privacy experts, many Filipinos who are quick to concoct a password for their accounts but are slow in determining that it can easily be hacked.
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Forbes, an American business magazine, listed the top passwords according to the NordPass Report. So, here are the top passwords that the world has used, and quite frankly, many Filipinos fall in the same demographic, too:
Most Used Passwords in the World
- 12345
- 123456789
- 0987654321
- Password1
- qweasdzxc
- qwerty_uiop
- abc123
- 11111111
- ILoveGod
- *First Name*
- *Nick Name*
- 0000000
- 1234
- Iloveyou
- *Birth dates*
- Monkey
- Basketball
- asdfghjkl
- !@#QWE
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Those are among the most used passwords and unfortunately, hackers have a way of knowing this. Especially if your social media accounts are not protected by other forms of security like 2-Factor Authentication (2FA), you might be in serious trouble.
What do you do to formulate a strong password?
This may sound mainstream, but the basic advice of tech-savvy experts and digital security analysts could go a long way. The right combination of alphanumeric characters with symbols, numbers, and upper case letters is always a good trick.
Here’s what you SHOULD NOT DO:
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- Simple Birth Date as a Password
- Name Of Dog as a Password
- Your Full Name as a Password
- Random Keyboard Letters and Numbers
- Your Mother’s Name as Password
- Your Family Name as a Password
Avoid the most used passwords and formulate better and stronger passwords. You can follow these easy and simple steps to arrive at one.
Mix everything up!
Most hackers will try simple passwords like your name, your dog’s name, name of your street, your address, or other patterns that could pass the requirement of being a “moderate” password.
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So when you do your own password, try to mix everything up. Include upper and lower case letters, numbers, symbols, everything. Make sure that it’s tedious because hackers won’t pursue it!
Try forming a phrase only YOU know
Sample of some sentences that could be your password could be “IAmBeautiful,” “ILikeBasketball,” “ReadingIsWhatILove,” and other phrases that you’re sure won’t give too much hints about you.
You can spice it up by adding a few numbers and symbols to it, too! Just don’t make it seem like it’s you!
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Don’t try and count your birth date
Many people make the mistake of setting their passwords up with the source being their birth date. Birth dates are generic pieces of information that can be seen anywhere; especially with the technology we have today.
Substitute numbers for letters
The letter “i” could be “1;” the letter “o” could be number “zero,” and vice versa – all up to you! It’s going to be harder if even you get tired and exhausted from typing it.
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Do make sure that if you’re making your password, you write it down so you won’t forget it!
Don’t use the same passwords twice
Another common mistake Internet users make is that they use the same passwords across all their devices. It’s like giving candy to a kid; when one account gets penetrated, another will and you can expect that.
This is why it’s imperative to have a password manager or to list down all the passwords you have on different social media platforms, bank accounts, and other digital memberships online.
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Password hygiene is the best thing you can do to heighten up and improve the security of your online data. There should be no one else who knows your password but you!
In addition to using the most used passwords on the planet, you would also want to keep everything you have private. This decreases the chance of hackers and online criminals to stalk or to even juice out information from you through the web.
When they get a hold of your account, there’s no turning back. You can kick them out, yes, but could you do it faster than them? The most common passwords can be ridiculous but following them isn’t actually a pain, is it? Anyways, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.
Source: ABS-CBN News | Forbes
