Do you know how hackers get access to your most sensitive accounts? Easily.

All they need is your password which unless is part of the 10% so called "good password", then you’re considered a "good target".

We discussed passwords last time but due to the high number of interested reader comments, we thought we can expand on this topic.

There are several issues which help hackers gain access to one person's account vs. another. Most people or 90% of system users either use weak passwords or use them in an inappropriate way.

The top three most common passwords are still "123456", "password", or "12345678" depending on the system requirement for password length and number inclusion. And yes, many people use the word "password" for password.

If your password is not in the top of the most commonly used password list, hackers can still guess your password while having some basic information about you such as your spouse, child or pet’s name followed by a 0 or 1 if the system requires a number. Many people still use these types of passwords and as you know and I'm sure, your Facebook account has plenty of references to your pet's name or spouse and children. So if you think that your basic info is not readily available, you must be living in the pre-online socialization era.

If all initial attempts fail, hackers can use free password crackers to brute force attack your accounts and get your login and password pairs. And, once they have your credentials, they can access multiple accounts because most likely you use the same credentials to access multiple accounts.

Don’t think for one second that the unauthorized access to your email account is harmless because a "forgot password" request can be initiated from websites which would send a password to the email address on file.

There are appropriate ways to select and use a password. Read this article again for additional password tips.

Until next time, be identity safe,

Henry Bagdasarian
Identity-Theft-Awareness.com

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