Arun Prabhudesai is the founder of Armoks Media Pvt. Ltd. He is a name to reckon with in the Technology, Auto, and Lifestyle sector. Arun Prabhudesai is one of the biggest names amongst technology experts with a huge army of subscribers to his credit on youtube . He is also the founder of Trakin Tech and Trak.in. Arun started Trakin Tech (one of the biggest business and tech publications) in 2017. The channel runs in Trakin Tech (english), Trakin Tech (hindi) and Trakin Tech Marathi. Other than Trakin tech, Arun also founded Trakin Shorts, Trakin ke funde and Trakin Auto. Arun is a visionary who has won many accolades to his credit in his career.
Did you know that in 2021 alone, more than 6 lakh incidents of cyber attacks were reported in India, with the rate of attacks doubling every quarter!
There are scammers, fraudsters, and hackers out there, lurking in the dark, waiting to pounce upon your bank account, social media profiles, and digital wallets to rob you and the threats are increasing at a rapid pace.
Passwords are one of the most powerful means to protect your financial assets and digital identity, and it’s always recommended to have strong passwords which can withstand such cyber attacks. But unfortunately, most of us deploy weak passwords that can be decoded easily, and this should immediately stop.
Here are a few time-tested and proven methods to make your passwords stronger that will resist such cyber-attacks and defeat the hackers and scamsters.
- Don’t pick a weak password:
Weak passwords are easily predictable and easy to crack. These can be words found in a dictionary, less than eight characters, part of personal information such as birthdays, anniversaries, phone number, address. A strong password is unpredictable and difficult to guess. If we add special characters and make our password alphanumeric, it can be very difficult to trace. Use of a combination of upper and lower case is also a good hack to build a strong password add special characters etc always
- Multi-factor authentication is always recommended:
Multi-factor authentication that requires a user to authenticate by providing two or more pieces of evidence of possession, knowledge, or inheritance is a mechanism that strengthens the security of your passwords. Always place a backup phone number or email, so that even if you are logged in without your consent and knowledge, the access still needs a second verification such as a code sent to your phone number or email address that you have provided. This is similar to having an ATM card so you must be its owner but, in certain circumstances, the card can fall under someone else’s possession too. But the pin of the card is known only to the owner which is necessary to make a transaction. Therefore, the stranger who would not know the pin, cannot misuse your card.
- Never put the same password for all the accounts :
Putting the same password for all your accounts is like having the same key for all your safes. In case you lose one, you lose it all. Always have different passwords for different accounts. Yes, it can be a little difficult to maintain the same sometimes, but it is necessary. These can be later managed in a password manager. But just for the sake of ease, never make such a mistake of keeping the same key to unlock all the doors you use.
- Avoid Phishing by Never opening unverified, spooky mails, and the hyperlinks in them:
Phishing is a type of social engineering attack that is done to steal your user data, login credentials, or sensitive and confidential data like your credit card details. These attacks are possible if you open unverified links or emails sent to you by unknown and spooky sources. By doing this you invite the installation of malware and ransomware attacks which results in revealing your confidential and sensitive data.
- Never share passwords:
You should refrain from sharing your password which is undoubtedly a major risk to all your secure and confidential data. It is required to protect yourself from sniffers. If you allow this loophole, your name can be compromised for the wrongdoings you are not even responsible for. You can lose ownership of your account too. Your password can be reused for other accounts and if those accounts ever fall prey to hackers, your accounts’ safety also gets compromised.
- Use Password managers:
Password managers are just like another safe for all your keys to other safes. Password managers let you use strong passwords which despite their complexities you can always use quickly. You don’t need to memorize your passwords or note them down somewhere physically which can be easily lost or can get to someone else’s hands. Password managers also help you to manage shared accounts and simplify cybersecurity. Though it has to be used very carefully and one should be very confident with the password of a password manager as it is a single key to reach all your doors at once.