6 Ways a Hacker Plans to Crack Your Passwords

Hacking happens everywhere and can happen to anyone. The first line of defense against any good hack is a good password. A strong and complex password can withstand even a brutal cyber attack.

Before you create that complex password, it’s important to know how it can be cracked.

Here are 6 common ways a hacker plans to crack your password:

1) They Guess It.

Anyone who knows you personally, checks out your social media or overhears your conversation can crack a simple password. Do you use the name of your child, your favorite football team or the make and model of your car? What about your birthday, place of birth or favorite movie? If so, you’ve been cracked.

2) They See It.

Do you write your password down on a post it note or a piece of paper? Have you ever logged into an account in public? Did the person standing behind you in line see you? Can a coworker or the cleaning crew see that post it note with your password? If so, consider your password public.

3) They Log It.

Has your PC, phone or tablet been infected by malware lately? If it has, you might be infected with a bad case of Keyloggers. This tricky version of malware can see and track everything you type. If you don’t use a password manager, it can log all your keystrokes, including when you signed into your bank account, your email and your Facebook page.

4) They Automate it.

There are many types of software available, most of which are free, that hackers use to crack your passwords. The software automates the code-cracking process and the only defense is a long, complex password and time. If your password is complex enough, it may take weeks or months for this tool to guess your code.

5) They Phish It.

The intent here is to trick you into inputting your login information. A corrupt link will lead you to an illegitimate website that looks almost identical to the real thing – your email, a shopping website or your bank account. Once you type in your credentials, the site will record your information and use it to gain access to your real account.

6) TheY Steal It.

When the Ashley Madison website got hacked, all of Ashley Madison’s user passwords were stolen. Someone hacked into their database and stole all the information it contained. These passwords were ‘hashed,’ which transforms your data into another format much like encryption does. It only took a few hours for most of these groups to crack millions of Ashley Madison passwords.

And, once again, the only defense you have is a long complex password. Your passwords should always be difficult to crack, but save the most intricate ones for anything that ties back to your work, your finances and your inbox. The trick is up come up with a complex password that you can actually remember and you’ll have a good line of defense against hackers.