Leaf nothing to chance this World Password Day
World Password Day reminds us to proactively secure accounts by using services like Have I Been Pwned to check for and update any compromised passwords and embracing robust password practices to stay ahead of increasingly sophisticated scammers.
It’s the 1st of May and we’re officially in the last month of Autumn. As you enjoy the beauty of the falling leaves transforming our campuses, spare a moment to think about any fallen passwords details as we celebrate World Password Day – a little less fun, but oh so important!
Scammers are becoming increasingly sophisticated and aggressive in their attempts to steal login credentials. From phishing emails to malware attacks, their toolbox is full of tactics to gain unauthorized access to our accounts. Just this week, it was reported that over 30,000 passwords from Australian bank customers were compromised and shared on the dark web, highlighting the urgency of taking proactive measures.
This World Password Day, why not take a few minutes and use Have I Been Pwned to check if your email address or passwords have been included in a data breach and are up for sale to the highest bidder.
Click here to see if you've been pwned →
The free service checks your details against a database of known breaches and is one of the easiest, and best ways to proactively secure your accounts.
If you get some bad news, set aside some time to update any compromised passwords, and consider closing old accounts that you no longer use.
When setting up new passwords, make sure they’re unique with a strong mix of numbers, letters (upper and lowercase), and symbols, at least 12 characters long and enable multifactor authentication where possible.
This World Password Day, take control of your accounts and don’t leaf anything to chance!
Did you know: It’s been estimated that a password made up of only lowercase letters could be cracked in around 45 minutes, while a strong password (as above) made up of 13 character password would take around 275 billion years.