Periscope
14 NEWSWEEK.COM FEBRUARY 28, 2020
MONEY Jump through a few hoopsBack up your password by enrolling in two-factor or multi-factor authenti-cation on any accounts that offer this option. This means that after entering
to take an extra security step to gain such as Google Authenticator.access, such as entering a short-lived code texted to your phone or email or pulled from a third-party generator, your password, the site requires you questions, such as asking about your security in the formmother’s maiden name or the make Some websites may add additional of personal
of your first car. Levin recommends lying. “There is so much info out there about us, it is easy for hackers to find the right answers to these questions, so answer them incorrectly when you set the account up,” says Levin. “Just don’t be so creative in writing your wrong answer, that you can’t remem-ber it. These systems are testing for consistency not veracity.”
sen well—to guess not only your password but nampassword. Hackers will be challenged somaccounts from your email address or words or characters, much like your the username as well.Finally, change the login ID on your Then relax. After all, if you’ve cho-e come to a randombination of first and last say, a passphrase formed assortment of
Not only will you be long gone by then lennia, nine centuries and nearly five and maybe even passwords themselves, but the technology around passwords, will likely take millennia for hackers to crack your code (actually, 119 mil-from the first two lines of decades, in the Beatle song example). will probably be obsolete as well. Hey Jude—it
ƠShe has worked for CNBC, Planningfinance journalist based in London. Kerri Anne Renzulli magazine and is a personal MoneyFinancial.Today, people can have as many as 90 existing passwords have been hacked using the same site’s interactive pass-word tool, which contains a database of more than 500 million passwords that have been leaked after various cyber attacks. If they’re in that data-base, it’s time for a change.Never repeat your passwords
require a password but only used 13 password for each one of themaccounts. About a third of consumers giant hassle. Wunique passwords to access those ple don’t do it. A Monline accounts; creating a unique instance, found that respondents had, on average, 23 online accounts that only use two or three passwords for hich is why most peo-cAfee survey, for is a
all of their accounts.strong password is having multiples,” says Lee. “You need a unique one per account. Don’t repeat. Once hackers find one login they can access, they will try using that same password to access all of your other accounts. It just makes life easier for the hackers.”“Equally as important as having a
Get the right kind of helpmOf course, a big part of the reason method most Americans use to keep many people rely on a small number and mto a survey by Pew Research Center: of passwords for multiple accounts is track of their passwords. The next to make them easier to remember—ost popular memorization is the primethods, according ary
“Come and get me.” All of these meth-Half of Americans write down their stash themods are largely unsecure since anyone welcomputer or mpasswords on a paper list; 24 percent cent save them in an internet browser.You me sign for fraudsters saying, ight as well hang out a obile phone; and 18 per- in a note on their com-
to your accounts if they are saved on easily hacked.your device or browser, or stumble across your written list, if it isn’t prop-erly locked away. Plus, browsers can be who uses your computer could log in securely store your account info and vault or mpasswords on either your hard drive A better approach: Use a password anager. These services
a free basic version, but charge $25 to or in the cloud. Many companies offer $60 a year for advanced features, such as emergency access and priority tech support.site. But programs like LastPass and which operates through your comand paste the password into each web-puter hard drive, you’ll need to copy If you use a program, like KeePass, -
Dashlane, operate through the cloud, meaning they can automatically log you into websites you visit, change passwords for you and recommend secure passwords. The extra conve-nience of cloud connections do leave them more vulnerable to large-scale hacks than ones that operate through your computer hard drive, says Lee. But the risk of skipping the password
mwords instead is much greater, he adds.anager and using repetitive pass-“A passphrase formed IURPWKH˽UVWWZR
millennia, nine centuries would likely take 119 decades for hackers lines of the Beatles DQGQHDUO\˽YHsong Hey Jude to crack.”