Password security is the most emphasized part of the internet security. There are a lot of guidelines like:
- Never share your password.
- Don’t ever use the default password.
- Never use an easy password.
- Keep changing your password frequently
No matter where you are, you will hear these rules for an optimum online security. And quite rightly. The high profile scandals including the security breaches have taken the world by storm. Everyone is making their network and the sensitive information secure and safe. And for that, you need a strong password.
If you don’t have a strong password, in the alphanumeric combination, chances are, your account could be stolen. The question is, how is it that hackers get into your account, breaking your password? And what can we do to keep our sensitive information safe? Here, in this article, we will discuss top 3 password security attacks and how to defend yourself against them.
Check Out These Password Security Threats
Brute Force Attack
The method is like it sounds. Your enemy first tries the possible easy passwords and then moves on to the more complex ones. Hackers try every possible combination that you can have.
To defend yourself, never use the passwords like password123 or your name or date of birth combination. Not even your favorite color or food. Find something complex. Combine alphabets and numerics. Use capital and small letters both. And don’t forget to add special characters, they are a savior. At last, keep your caches and cookies clear.
Dictionary Attack
Hackers use a script or program to log in through the possible and common combination of words. In brute force attack, hackers symmetrically search a large keyspace proportion. However, the dictionary attack only tries those possibilities that have high chances of success. These combinations of words are taken from a list of words which is often the dictionary or alike. Hence, this attack got its name. These attacks are successful because most of us tend to use short words with a little variation in our password. These words are usually one single word that is easy to remember. And if it is not your name of the favorite place, it can be easily found in the dictionary.
The only way you can prevent this from happening is to make your password complex. If not long, make it a combination of alphabets that’s not in the dictionary. Add special characters and capital alphabets. More complex your password it, more secure it will be.
Key Logger Attack
In this attack, the hacker monitors all your keystrokes through a program. At the end of the day, every word you have typed gets recorded, including your user id and passwords. Unlike other attacks, this program must enter your device. This is usually done by tempting you to click on a link or making you download it. So, even if you have a strong password, you are not safe.
How To Prevent These Cyber Attacks?
So how do you keep yourself safe? Use virtual keyboard for typing your user id and password wherever you can. Enable two-factor authentication. This will keep you secure from any password security attack. Authenticate your login through unique OTP.
The Multifactor Authentication isn’t penetrable. That’s why it is growing popular rapidly. With MFA, even if the hacker gets the password, they can’t get through your security.
It doesn’t take a lot of effort to keep your account safe. However, we get attacked because we don’t pay much attention to it. Our security is in our own hands, and we must take it seriously.
