Congratulations, you have just been hacked!

Let’s play a game. If your password is any of these:

• 123456

• password

• iloveyou

• Your birthday (e.g., 15jan1996)
  

…then congratulations! You have made a hacker’s job easier than buying suya at midnight.

Why Passwords are Easy to Hack

1. 'I am not a Target' Mentality:

   Hackers don’t care if you’re a student or a CEO. They are constantly using bots to test millions of common passwords daily and exploiting what works.

2. Reusing Passwords Everywhere:

   Using the same password for GTBank, Facebook, and even your school portal? If one leaks, o ti lor.

So, Why Should You Actually Care?

Maybe you're thinking, "What's the worst that could happen?" Well, let me paint a little picture:

• Your money could disappear: Imagine logging into your bank app and seeing your account drained. Definitely not a fun thought.

• Your identity could be stolen: These criminals can use your personal information to open fake accounts, take out loans, or even commit crimes in your name.

• Your private life could become public: Think about your embarrassing/private photos or messages ending up where they shouldn't.

• Your business could be crippled: For our SME folks, a hacked account could mean losing valuable customer data, business financial information, or even control of your online presence. That can seriously damage your reputation and ultimately, your bottom line.

Here is How You Can Create Strong Passwords (without stress)

1. Go Long: The longer, the better. Aim for at least 12 characters, but even longer is even better. Think passphrases, not passwords.

2. Mix It Up: Don't just use lower or upper case letters. Throw in a mix of upper + lower case letters, numbers and symbols (!@#$%^&*). The more variety, the tougher it is to crack.

3. Be Random (but make it memorable): Avoid using personal information like your name, birthday, pet's name, or anything easily guessable. Instead, try combining random words with some alterations. e.g., use "BlU3Car!9&" instead of "bluecar".

4. Make Each Account Unique: This is a big one. If a criminal gets the password to one of your accounts, they will try it on all your other accounts. Using a different, strong password for each account is like having separate locks on every door of your house.

5. Consider a Password Manager: You can use tools like Google Password Manager (free) or Trend Micro Password Manager (costs about NGN7,000 a year) to securely store passwords. This way, you don't have to write them down in a book or forget to remember them. They can even generate strong, random passwords for you as well.

6. Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) is Your Friend: This is like adding a second lock to your door. Even if someone somehow guesses your password, they'll still need a second code (usually sent to your phone) to get in. We will talk more about this in a future post, but seriously, enable it whenever you can.

And what if I Forget my Password?

You mean instead of getting a password manager? Well, you can instead write down password hints like "My primary school in Warri” instead of writing passwords in notepads.

Taking a few extra minutes to create strong, unique passwords might seem like a hassle, but it's one of the most effective things you can do to protect your digital life. Don't be the person who leaves their online front door wide open with "password123" on the welcome mat.

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