The password ‘123456’ has been found 23 million times in the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) Have I Been Pwned password campaign in collaboration with Troy Hunt.
The NCSC campaign displays 100,000 most commonly re-used passwords that have been accessed by third parties in global cyber breaches. If you see a password in this Global password risk list you should change it immediately.
Attackers commonly use lists like these when attempting to breach a perimeter. Attackers are able to breach a company network due to a single weak point (such as a password from one of these lists)
If a cyber criminal accesses your email, they could:
- Access your other online accounts using the ‘forgot password’ feature (which often sends you an email)
- Access personal or business information and use this to scam you or people you know
This blog contains advice on how to keep your email secure. You can reduce the risk of intrusion by taking the following steps.
- Action 1 – Use a strong and different password: The NCSC encourages the use of 3 random words to create a password that is easy to remember but hard to crack. Do not use words that can be guessed (like your pet’s name). You can include numbers and symbols if needed. For example, “clock!M0VEPrinter1”
- Action 2 – Use Multi-Factor Authentication: Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) gives you twice the protection so even if cyber criminals have your password, they can’t access your email. MFA works by asking for more information to prove your identity whether it be a code sent to your phone or an authenticator app.
Next Steps
If you are looking to protect your business from cyber-attacks and data breaches, Download our Cyber Security Checklist and assess your organisation’s overall level of cyber security risk.
If you are looking for a cyber security consultant for assistance with your IT security, please download our Cyber Security Brochure or contact Matrix IT today by calling 01329 888 444, or email us at moreinfo@mtxit.com
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