Even long passwords can be hacked: this is how you protect yourself

“It depends on the length” has always been good advice when creating one Secure password. But security company Specops Software discovered that even supposedly long passwords don’t provide 100 percent security. To do this, the company examined the length 800 million passwordswhich has been at risk in recent years.

Most broken passwords are 8 characters long

It turns out: The most common password that is hacked is not one or two letters, but… 8 characters long. This is probably because the default password length in Active Directory is 8 characters. the Microsoft Directory Service It is one of the central components of Windows-based networking. Moreover, “password“Unfortunately, it is one of the most commonly used passwords, and it is 8 characters long.

However, the security company gives the all clear. It is still true that the length of a password increases its security. 85 percent of broken passwords are less than 12 characters long. If the numbers are mixed with lowercase letters, uppercase letters, and special characters in your password, you will usually do well with a 10, 11, or 12-digit password.

A complex password is only half the battle

However, a complex password is only half the battle. There is still great danger Phishing attempts, where users are tricked into revealing passwords on their own initiative through fake emails. Data leakage from large companies also poses a risk – regardless of whether passwords are encrypted or not. Once the attackers have the data set, they will have all the time in the world to decrypt the codes.

➤ Read more: What should I do if I fall victim to a phishing email?

So how can you protect yourself? First, you should choose a separate password for each service, which is long and complex enough. If there is a service Data leak You should also change the respective password. You can find out if you have been affected by such a leak on the website hasibeenpwned.com Checks.