A potential of 5 million Gmail account credentials have been leaked to a Russian online forum by hackers. According to the poster of the information, 60% of the 4.93 million account leaked are active. The account holders are mostly English, Russian, and Spanish. But according to Google’s blog, “less than 2 percent of the username and password combinations might have worked.”
If your account information is of those released, Google will send an alert and help the users take steps to secure your accounts. It is strongly encouraged to utilize two-step verification when logging into accounts, as well as to create strong passwords.
Here are some tips on how to create strong passwords:
Important accounts should have unique passwords
-Reusing of password is risky. Once someone figures out your password in one of your accounts, that individual could also gain access to your other accounts.
Change password regularly
-If by chance your password has been figured out by someone, regularly changing your password will limit that person from accessing your account.
Use mix of letters, numbers and symbols
-Using a combination of letters, numbers and symbols makes it harder for someone to guess your password.
Do not user personal information
-usage of personal information as your password like your birthday or name of your children will makes it easier to guess.
Backup password must be up-to-date and secured
-Make sure to regularly update your recovery email address so that you can receive emails in case you need to reset your password. You can also add a phone number to receive password reset codes via text message. Many websites will also give you the option of answering a security question if you forget your password.
Keep your password protected
-Don’t leave notes with your passwords to various sites on your computer or desk. People who walk by can easily steal this information and use it to compromise your account.
There’s also a handy application called 1U that eliminates the need for passwords, user-names, pins, or tokens of any kind, making users’ digital lives more convenient and secure. You can check out the video below for the details:
This post was sponsored by 1U, but concerns my/our own opinion.