Changing your password can be annoying. But with the rise of online scams and a recent data leak that is said to be the largest in history, perhaps it’s time to swap “password1234” for something less obvious.
Hackers exposed more than 8.4 billion passwords in what Cyber News, a website specializing in cybersecurity, is calling “RockYou2021.”
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Financial expert Kelley Keehn recently joined The Morning Show to discuss how this leak might affect Canadians and tips on protecting yourself from online scams.
According to Statista, there are almost 4.7 billion active internet users worldwide.
“This compilation includes potentially the passwords of the entire global population just about times two,” Keehn says.
You can check if your data was breached on Cyber News.
Keehn recommends choosing a password that doesn’t include your personal information and isn’t easy to guess.
“It’s not as complex as you think,” she says, adding that a capital letter, a few numbers and a symbol can go a long way.
Many of us have been relying heavily on the internet during the COVID-19 pandemic and Keehn says we can expect an increase in online scams.
Data exposure includes more than what we share on our social media accounts and can include smaller actions like entering your email for a discount on a website, she adds.
“We’re sharing our information more than ever,” Keehn says. “Criminals are behind these attacks and they’re not going anywhere anytime soon.”
For more information on the largest password hack and how to protect yourself, watch the full video above.
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