The state of password security
The bad news is poor password habits put you at extreme risk of breach. According to the 2017 Verizon Data Breach Report, 81% of breaches are caused by weak or reused passwords. So you can’t afford to have generic or repetitive passwords for your online accounts. You need to up your password security.
And according to The Psychology of the Password report by LastPass and Lab43, even though people know it’s risky, about 55% still reuse passwords. And 38% of people keep passwords in a file on their computer or mobile device – or even write them on paper.
Who is at risk?
Unfortunately, everyone is at risk of having their personal information stolen. Every day you hear about companies that have experienced data breaches, and if that company has your information, you’re at risk. Hackers collect this data and then sell it on the black market. And with the high rate of password reuse, it’s likely that if you’re personal information is stolen your business accounts are compromised too. Businesses are at high risk because of poor employee password behavior.
Stay safe by regularly changing your passwords on all accounts, not just those that have been breached, and be sure to use unique and strong passwords. If you aren’t sure of the strength of your password, use the password strength checker to help.
Tips for creating a secure password
How can you ensure your password is secure? Using a password generator can do the work for you. You can set the length and character requirements and the generator creates a random and strong password. Using a different password for every website that is long and has multiple types of characters (numbers, letters, and symbols) will help protect you from someone hacking into your accounts. If you use a password manager, it can generate strong passwords for you, so you don’t even need to visit the password generator site.
Once you have your strong password, you need to remember it. And unique, strong passwords are almost impossible to memorize, so using a password manager like LastPass is essential.
How LastPass works
LastPass stores all your passwords and automatically fills in your login information when you visit your favorite sites. You never have to remember your passwords again – which means you can make them really strong. Learn more about how LastPass works.
Making a strong master password
The last password you’ll ever have to remember is your master password – which you use to log in to LastPass. To make this password secure, we recommend using a passphrase. A string of words that seem random but mean something to you. For example, it could be the color of your shoes, followed by your mood, followed by your next vacation spot, followed by the temperature outside. That would result in a passphrase like: bluehappyitaly35. To make it more secure, add in a capital letter and a symbol or two. But don’t go overboard because you still have to remember it.
Never reuse passwords
Not only do you need to generate strong passwords, you also need a unique password for each and every account you have. If you’re not sure if you’ve reused your passwords, our security challenge can help. Once you have a free LastPass account and add your websites to your vault, our security challenge will compare all your accounts to see where you have weak or reused passwords. From there, you’ll know exactly the passwords you need to update.
