How Hackers Steal Your Password

Unfortunately, this is something that happens often. Having a strong password is so important when it comes to defending yourself against hackers, but that isn’t always enough. We want to share with you some of the common ways that hackers can get a hold of your password(s).

Keyloggers

This term describes a certain kind of malware. This malware is hidden as it runs in the background of your computer. When a keylogger goes undetected, the hackers can track every key you press on your keyboard. The goal is to gain a user’s login credential for any and all digital platforms.

Once these criminals have your username and password, they can gain a new identity, money, personal information, and more; all at your expense. Consider purchasing a good anti-malware software and have it installed on your computer.

Password Leaks

We have seen it before, and we will see it again. Every now and then a huge company is hacked; Facebook, Gmail, and Dropbox, for a few examples. When major brands like these are hacked, their user’s passwords are leaked onto the web. With information like this, criminals can take advantage of any individual’s personal data.

Unfortunately, there is no way for you to stop this. You can prevent hackers from gaining access to more than one digital platform by NOT reusing the same password. Majority of online users have the same password for every account; this is not a good idea. Recycling these credentials could turn a bad problem into a worse one. Be sure to use different usernames and passwords for all of your private accounts.

Phishing

Phishing is a scam that preys on human nature and human error. The goal with phishing is to trick the victim into doing something. In most cases, these hackers are able to trick individuals into giving up personal information like: login credentials, credit card information, social security numbers, and more.

These criminals can do this by sending clickable links to your emails that, if opened, can install spyware on your computer. They my even create a disguised malicious website or app to look like a legitimate service that asks for your personal information. If you do not do research on who or what you’re giving your private information to, you may be sending your data straight into the hands of a criminal.

Brute Force Attacks

These attacks are scary because hackers will stop at nothing to figure out the victims password. They are called brute force attacks because hackers have created software to repeatedly guess your password until they log into your accounts. Millions of attempts per second to guess your password is impossible for a human to achieve, hence the cybercriminals use of software.

These purpose-made tools use every possible combination of characters until they gain access to your accounts by finding the correct password. The shorter the password, the faster this process becomes. To slow down a brute force attack, or stop it completely, you’ll need to strengthen your passwords. Use upper and lowercase letters, make it random, add characters throughout, and give it a decent length.

We can help!

My Computer Works has all-American based technicians standing by to help you with these problems, and any other technology related issues. Call us today at 877-629-6972 and check out our A+ rating on the Better Business Bureau.