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Rarely does a week go by without news of another
hacking incident. On Tuesday, The New York Times reported that a Russian
crime ring had amassed some 1.2 billion username and password
combinations.
The Times report, based on information from Milwaukee-based Hold
Security, called the data "the largest known collection of stolen
Internet credentials." Hold's researchers did not identify the origins
of the data or name the victim websites, citing nondisclosure
agreements. The company also said it didn't want to name companies whose
websites are still vulnerable to hacking, according to the Times report.
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A representative for Hold Security could not immediately be reached for
comment on Tuesday afternoon.
Security threats have long been part of online life, but the increased
attention on them makes now a good time to review ways to protect
yourself.
If there's reason to believe any of your passwords might have been
compromised, change them immediately. One of the best things you can do
is to make sure your passwords are strong. Here are seven ways to
fortify them:
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--Make your password long. The recommended minimum is eight characters,
but 14 is better and 25 is even better than that. Some services have
character limits on passwords, though.
--Use combinations of letters and numbers, upper and lower case and
symbols such as the exclamation mark. Some services won't let you do all
of that, but try to vary it as much as you can. "PaSsWoRd!43" is far
better than "password43."
--Avoid words that are in dictionaries, even if you add numbers and
symbols. There are programs that can crack passwords by going through
databases of known words. One trick is to add numbers in the middle of a
word -- as in "pas123swor456d" instead of "password123456." Another is
to think of a sentence and use just the first letter of each word -- as
in "tqbfjotld" for "the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
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--Substitute characters. For instance, use the number zero instead of
the letter O, or replace the S with a dollar sign.
--Avoid easy-to-guess words, even if they aren't in the dictionary. You
shouldn't use your name, company name or hometown, for instance. Avoid
pets and relatives' names, too. Likewise, avoid things that can be
looked up, such as your birthday or ZIP code. But you might use that as
part of a complex password. Try reversing your ZIP code or phone number
and insert that into a string of letters. As a reminder, you should also
avoid "password" as the password, or consecutive keys on the keyboard,
such as "1234" or "qwerty."
--Never reuse passwords on other accounts -- with two exceptions. Over
the years, I've managed to create hundreds of accounts. Many are for
one-time use, such as when a newspaper website requires me to register
to read the full story. It's OK to use simple passwords and repeat them
in those types of situations, as long as the password isn't unlocking
features that involve credit cards or posting on a message board. That
will let you focus on keeping passwords to the more essential accounts
strong.
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The other exception is to log in using a centralized sign-on service
such as Facebook Connect. Hulu, for instance, gives you the option of
using your Facebook username and password instead of creating a separate
one for the video site. This technically isn't reusing your password,
but a matter of Hulu borrowing the log-in system Facebook already has in
place. The account information isn't stored with Hulu. Facebook merely
tells Hulu's computers that it's you. Of course, if you do this, it's
even more important to keep your Facebook password secure.
--Some services such as Gmail even give you the option of using two
passwords when you use a particular computer or device for the first
time. If you have that feature turned on, the service will send a text
message with a six-digit code to your phone when you try to use Gmail
from an unrecognized device. You'll need to enter that for access, and
then the code expires. It's optional, and it's a pain -- but it could
save you from grief later on. Hackers won't be able to access the
account without possessing your phone. Turn it on by going to the
account's security settings. |