E-mail inbox, social networks, streaming providers, the online shop or the company's employee portal - without passwords, nothing works in most people's everyday lives.

And although they can be used to gain access to very personal information or to conduct financial transactions, simple passwords such as “123456” or “password” still appear on the lists of the most frequently used passwords. In addition, a third of internet users (35 percent) stated in a Bitkom survey that they use the same password for different services.

For everyone who finds themselves here, February 1st is a good opportunity to check their own access data - tomorrow is the annual global “Change Your Password” day.

“If you use a strong password and have secured your access with two-factor authentication where possible, you don’t actually have to change your password regularly, but only if the provider provides information about possible security incidents. But February 1st is a good opportunity to at least briefly think about your passwords and your own IT security.”

Simran Mann, security expert at the digital association Bitkom

Secure password and other precautions

On this occasion, Bitkom gives tips for more password security:

  • Use complex passwords: A password should consist of upper and lower case letters as well as numbers and special characters.
    The longer it is, the harder it is to figure it out by trial and error - but it should be ten characters. Terms that can be found in the dictionary should not be used, nor should those that have a simple connection to your own work or family, such as dates of birth or names of children or animals.
  • Password managers can help : Password managers, i.e. special programs for the computer or smartphone, can help create good passwords for new services and manage existing passwords.
    To do this, they are stored in encrypted form; to access all of your passwords, you only have to remember one master password, a master key, so to speak. This password should be correspondingly strong.
  • Use two-factor authentication: Many services now offer so-called two-factor authentication (2FA), which you should definitely activate.
    After entering the correct password, you have to enter an additional code. You can receive this via SMS, for example, or you can display it on your smartphone using a special app. The advantage: Even if the password falls into someone else's hands, an attacker can only gain access if he also gains access to the smartphone as a "second factor".
  • Protect your own password: Anyone who receives an email from their bank or online shop and is asked to enter their access data on an unknown website should be suspicious.
    This is the classic way cyber criminals use so-called phishing attacks to try to gain access data. A company's customer service will never ask for online passwords over the phone.
  • Install updates: The operating system of your computer and smartphone, as well as applications, should always be up to date and updates installed. Outdated software with known security gaps that have actually long since been closed is often a gateway for malware that can also steal passwords.

Create a secure password now: Go to the password generator

Source:

Bitkom
Related: The most popular German passwords in 2022


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