An ethical hacker has revealed the 10 popular passwords you should never use on your phone or laptop.
Joe Cockroft, a cybersecurity expert who is adept at breaching complex systems and understanding criminal hacking methods, has revealed his big no nos when protecting your data online.
In particular he warned against using personal information as your password.
Mr Cockroft said: ‘Using identifiable information, such as a favourite football team, names of family members, or the city you live in, can make passwords easier to determine.
In the present day and age, where so many people are almost totally dependent on online technology in one way or another, cybersecurity is something that remains of paramount importance (File image)
‘While this information may be easy to remember, it could also be easy for threat actors to figure out after a short time exploring your social media profiles, for example.’
‘NordPass’s Most Common Password List shows just how popular football teams are for UK passwords, as well as how many passwords lack complexity and are often a single word.
‘Threat actors will often use a list of thousands or millions of words that help them crack your password.’
He said that, while using a memorable phrase such as the name of your favourite sports team is ‘easy to remember’, it also makes it easier for the security of your accounts to be compromised.
Joe said this is because threat actors will often use a list that can be thousands or even millions of words long – to enable them to find your password.
If you use passwords such as ‘123456’ or ‘password’ then you must act now or you could be at risk as these remain some of the most-used codes in the UK.
Joe also gave useful advice concerning what you should do if you are struggling to think of a strong password.
He said this combination should be in the form of letters, numbers and symbols that are complex and that should never be re-used across multiple accounts.
The cybersecurity expert added that you should also regularly check to see if your accounts have been compromised, so that you can change your password and lock your account if necessary.
Joe Cockroft, a cybersecurity expert who is adept at breaching complex systems and understanding criminal hacking methods, warned people going online that their passwords are not as strong as they should be (File image)
