We’ve all heard stories about how breaches in security have resulted in the theft of corporate passwords. Or, there have been other news highlights leading to stories of passwords being stolen from popular databases including LinkedIn, or personal information being lifted from Facebook. One news highlight featured passwords being lifted from eHarmony recently. What are consumers to do when they store critical information online, thinking it is secure, when it really isn’t?
There is critical information being secured online, yet it isn’t secure. Many IT professionals are reiterating how important it is not to use pre-used passwords, as this is the type of information that has been stolen from databases on the Web previously. However most consumers are likely to do just that… reuse old passwords they think the odds are low of being used or stolen again.
These days most internet services require the use of a password. Thus, if you have no choice but to use an old password, or simply can’t think of anything else to use, then there are a few steps you can take at the very least to make the password you use a bit more secure. The reason for this? Hackers and other information specialists have probably already started circulating information about your old password. So the odds are high if you use that one, it is not secure. You want to do everything possible to alter the password you will use to at the very least secure the site you plan to use. Read the rest of this entry »
Most computer users frequent social media websites, including Facebook, which along with Twitter, is one of the more popular. Facebook is no stranger to security breaches. Despite this, many users continue to use Facebook and other popular media sites as if it were a personal diary or journal, freely placing confidential information on the Web free for anyone to exploit and use at a moment’s notice.