These five passwords are the most commonly guessed by hackers
Thursday marks World Password Day and a new survey has found that many internet users' passwords aren’t as strong as they should be.
When it comes to passwords, many of us recycle them, use the same one for many different services or don't try very hard to make them difficult, and according to security company Cisco Canada, that’s exactly what cyber criminals are hoping for.
“The attackers know this and they are searching for easy-to-guess passwords on a continuous basis,” Dave Lewis, a global advisory chief information officer at Cisco Canada, told CTV News Toronto.
According to the mobile security firm Lookout, these five passwords are the most often hacked:
- 123456
- 123456789
- qwerty
- password
- 12345
A strong password should have upper and lowercase letters, and symbols. It should not be used on more than one website. With so many unique passwords it can be difficult to remember them all and that's when a password manager can come in handy.
Consumer Reports has studied password managers in the past and found they can be a good option.
“With password managers, you only have to remember one password, your master password for the password manager" Bree Fowler with Consumer Reports said.
While some fear their password manager could get hacked, Lewis said the chance thieves could actually retrieve them is extremely doubtful.
“The chances of a password manager getting compromised is very low and even if it did the passwords are encrypted so the likelihood they could be reversed is very low,” he said.
Some other ways to protect your password security is to use multifactor authentication, use longer and stronger passwords, beware of suspicious password links and always use anti-virus security software.
Also, it's important to be careful with what you're sharing on social media, as hackers are always searching for clues to passwords, such as the names of children or pets.
“If your password is Fluffy123, there is a high probability a hacker can figure that out,” Lewis said. “However, if you’re using something that has a mix of different characters, the chances they can puzzle that out in short order is much, much lower."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Police release bodycam video of officer-involved incident at Hindu temple protest in Brampton, Ont.
Police say an officer who forcefully removed a 'weapon' from a protester outside of a Hindu temple in Brampton was acting 'within the lawful execution of his duties' after bystander video of the incident circulated widely online.
Some Scotiabank users facing 'intermittent' access to banking days after scheduled maintenance
Scotiabank users say they are having issues using their bank’s services following a scheduled maintenance period that ended days ago.
W5 Investigates Car security investigation: How W5 'stole' a car using a device we ordered online
In part two of a three-part series into how thieves are able to drive off with modern vehicles so easily, CTV W5 correspondent Jon Woodward uses a device flagged by police to easily clone a car key.
'Countless lives were at risk:' 8 charged, including teen wanted in deadly home invasion, after West Queen West gun battle
A teenage boy arrested along with more than 20 others following a gun battle in Toronto’s West Queen West neighbourhood was wanted in connection with a deadly home invasion in Etobicoke back in April, Toronto police say.
Everything is under US$20 at Amazon's newest store
Amazon is targeting retail rivals Shein, Temu and TikTok Shop with a new deeply discounted storefront that sells a wide array of products for US$20 or less.
Many long COVID patients adjust to slim recovery odds as world moves on
There are certain phrases that Wachuka Gichohi finds difficult to hear after enduring four years of living with long COVID, marked by debilitating fatigue, pain, panic attacks and other symptoms so severe she feared she would die overnight.
Sandy Hook families help The Onion buy Infowars
The satirical news publication The Onion won the bidding for Alex Jones' Infowars at a bankruptcy auction, backed by families of Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims whom Jones owes more than US$1 billion in defamation judgments for calling the massacre a hoax.
California teenager admits to making hundreds of hoax emergency calls
A California teenager has admitted to making hundreds of swatting calls — hoax emergency calls — over a two-year period, creating 'fear and chaos' when police responded to his false reports of bomb threats and mass shootings at schools, homes and houses of worship, federal prosecutors said.
A look at how much mail Canada Post delivers, amid a strike notice
Amid a potential postal worker strike, here’s a look at how many letters and parcels the corporation delivers and how those numbers have changed in the internet age.