Actually, one should think that passwords are created with great security nowadays, but the opposite is still the case. Among theMost used passwords on the InternetIf millions of combinations such as 123456, password or qwerty123, they are as simple and, not surprisingly, they are cracked within a few seconds.
Just like maybe your password, because even indiscriminately symbol combinations can be found faster than you may think.
Your passwords are so sure
When asked about a safe password, two important factors decide above all - the length and the type of characters used. To clarify the difference, we have a small quiz here:
What is the safest password?
- GamePro
- G4mePr0
- G4%mEP
Would you choose the lower passwordLet her go wrong. This can be cracked in almost 12 hours despite the special characters, but the middle dignity can withstand two weeks and the upper one still four days (viaHive Systems).
Because special characters increase the time it takes to crack the password, only by two to three times. However, the length ensures a significantly higher "wooden level of difficulty"-in our example it takes 56 times longer to decipher the password.
Important!These are absolute values that do not consider that you use frequently used words or phrases or that the hacker lands an early random. Then the time can be significantly shortened.
So if you want to be on the safe side, then you should be indiscriminately placed for a passwordPay,Small letters,Capital lettersandSpecial characterat leasttwelve signsDecide length.
Then even a fast PC with several high-end computing units with an unsafe encryption standard such as MD5 needs a maximum of 226 years to try out each individual possible combination.
Most of the time, your browser suggests such a combination, but alternatively you can also have a password of oneGeneratorlet it suggest. Password managers such as 1 Password or Proton Pass also work in this way, they create long and safe passwords and all you have to do is remember the master password for the software.
How is a password hacked at all?
In the rarest case, a reasonably safe password is discovered by the fact that an attacker tries to log in several times in a service. Modern online servers are mostly designed to identify frequent login attempts in a short time and then block the account or to drastically increase the time between the tests.
Instead, many areBrute Force-Atacken -as the constant trying out all possible password combinations -mostly performed offline.
The database is stolen with the encrypted passwords and the attacker tries through all possible combinations without any restrictions until it finds the corresponding encryption counter, i.e. the password reveals.
This also results in the times mentioned above, because this method is the "more normal" variant for password attacks.
For example, whether you are part of such a password theft, you can find the leak checker of theUniversity of Bonnout of here. In the password manager of Google Chrome and many other browsers you are also pointed out as soon as a password appears online.
Accounts can also be stolen elsewhere
In addition to the brute Force approach, there are a few additional methods to steal passwords.This includes, for example:
- Phishing:In phishing, for example, you will be forwarded by email to a fake page on which you can enter credit card data or passwords. Therefore, always check the URL and the pages called for spelling mistakes or strange graphics!
- Spoofing:Spoofing works very similarly to phishing, which is usually meant the pretense of a veta-worthy page or email address.
- Social Engineering:Attackers can try to spend yourself as your person and lead a company behind the light via communicative techniques to get to your account. But this also works the other way around if you are asked about certain data and passwords on the phone or by chat,neveron it!
- Painting and ransomware:In downloaded files, malware can hide that infected your computer and thus leads to the loss of sensitive data. She can completedifferent formshave, for example, to enter passwords or record your key inputs.
Be attentive and keep your (safe) passwords for you, but can usually do little to happen. You should never give a person access to your PC or your cell phone using a remote function. This can be done, for example, through apps such as Team Viewer or Anydesk.
Otherwise it can happen very quickly that malware is downloaded and activated that steal your data and may even provide information on your online accounts.
You should usually also check email attachments and downloaded data with the Windows Defender, Malwarebyte, Virustotal or another current virus scanner, unless you are one hundred percent sure that they come from a reputable source.
It becomes even safer with the two-factor authentication
Not only a safe password protects your online accounts from a foreign access, but also a so-called two-factor authentication, in short:2FA. An additional activation device serves as an additional factor for login, hence the name.
Many services offer such a function, for example via a smartphone app like the Google Authenticator. If you register with a service, you have to read a code from your cell phone and enter it with the desired device. Only then will you get access to the account.
Without a password, it is also possible via Passkey.Long consequences are hidden behind recognition features that you can only deliver. For example, a facial scan, a fingerprint or a PIN query that cannot be seen via remote control.
The PlayStation Network supports this function, for example:
So you have different options to be safe on the Internet. Data or account theft can have significant consequences, which is why you should act carefully.
What measures do you usually use? Do you even have a few more tips that increase security on the Internet? Would you have thought that the length is more decisive than additional symbols?
