Nearly 10 billion passwords stolen by hackers — how to protect yourself (2024)

FAQs

What is easiest way to protect against hackers? ›

Two-factor authentication is often used to keep hackers from accessing your personal information. But for hackers, using their real contact information is too risky. Hackers use burner phones, multiple dummy email addresses, and truly encrypted messaging services like Signal to maintain privacy.

So what techniques do hackers use to steal information? Hackers will often use multiple techniques at once to steal your information. These methods include phishing, fake WAP's (Wireless Access Point), waterhole attacks, brute forcing, bait & switch, and clickjacking.

Implement Multi-Factor Authentication

Multi-factor authentication (MFA), by incorporating factors such as endpoint or biometrics, authenticator applications, protects accounts against password cracking tools and guessing attacks by requiring an extra step to provide identity confidence for authentication.

Email Phishing is one of the most common hacking tools. Ironically, most of us are aware of email phishing, but we still fall prey to these attacks. Essentially, hackers target users by sending an email that looks to be coming from a legitimate source.

Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)

CISA is at the center of the exchange of cyber defense information and defensive operational collaboration among the federal government, and state, local, tribal and territorial (SLTT) governments, the private sector, and international partners.

Something simple, short and predictable. Astonishingly, those are also the characteristics of the world's most common online password, which is 123456, according to online password management company NordPass.

Facebook accounts are the most hacked accounts on the internet in the United States, according to new research by VPN Central.

Sometimes, the answer is as simple as trial and error. Brute-force attacks use software to guess at user passwords over and over until a match is found. Rather than stealing or purchasing the password, the hacker obtains it through computer-assisted guesswork made more effective by weak or reused passwords.

What information do hackers want the most? ›

Personal data

While passport information sells for the most amount of money, Social Security numbers are the most valuable to hackers, as these can be used for tax fraud, opening credit accounts, and other malicious activities.

Firewalls. A firewall is a software program or piece of hardware that blocks hackers from entering and using your computer. Hackers search the internet the way some telemarketers automatically dial random phone numbers.

Weak Passwords

Yes, it's easier to use your dog's name as a password every time you need one. However, when you realize that 80% of cyber attacks come from weak passwords, you should be convinced that putting a little extra effort in here is well worth it. We can't say this enough: strong passwords matter!