Why You Should Avoid Weak Passwords: A Closer Look

It takes literal seconds to crack a simple password. Imagine it taking less than 10 seconds for someone to break into your bank account, then they take your money and change your login information so you can’t get in. It’s not a pleasant thought.

Weak passwords are typically easy to guess, so they don’t serve much of a purpose. Think passwords that aren’t many letters, don’t include special characters, or are reused across multiple websites by the same email address.

Are you trying to figure out how you can have a strong password to protect your information?

Below, we discuss some of the reasons you need to stay away from weak passwords. We will also give you tips for using a stronger password in the future, so keep reading!

What Are the Common Passwords to Avoid?

The most common passwords are extremely basic, so they are weak due to their popularity but also due to their simplicity. These include:

• 123456 (sometimes with more or fewer digits)
• qwerty
• password
• 111111
• 123123
• iloveyou
• football

Cybercriminals use tools that automate their password guessing. This means that the weaker passwords, like these, are automatically going to be checked and will take no time at all to crack.

For this reason, it’s best to avoid these generalized strings of digits or just single words/common phrases. These are what everyone else is also using, so they are really easy to guess. It’s one of the most common cybersecurity mistakes to avoid for individuals or businesses.

Why Is Reusing a Password Bad?

In a way, reusing even a strong password is just as dangerous as using a weak password.

Simply put, if someone guesses your password on one site, they can then use that information to make the same guesses among other websites. They will proceed to take your credentials from multiple sites at once, which is called a credential stuffing attack.

The best course of action is to use a strong password that is different for each account you make.

How Can I Keep Track of Different Passwords?

The best options are password management software or a simple Microsoft Excel sheet.

Password management software will allow you to store all of your credentials in an easy-to-use system. You will create a password that you’ll need to access these credentials, but it’s very secure.

If you want to go the Microsoft Excel route, you can download “password templates” online and create a document on your computer. Make sure that you save this somewhere you can easily find it, and always lock it with a unique master password.

Either way, you only have one password to remember that gives you access to all of your strong passwords for other sites!

Avoiding Weak Passwords Makes You Stronger

As you can see, it might be really easy to use weak passwords, but stronger passwords are essential to protect your personal information. So many people become victims every year due to using a weak password across multiple sites; don’t let that be you!

Check out more articles on our website to get more info on being more tech-savvy and keeping yourself safe online.