Protect your personal data by changing passwords

Con artists don’t take time off, nor should you when it comes to protecting your personal information. Whether it’s your phone, tablet or desktop, your email account or websites, the threat is not going away: There’s always a bad guy trying to get in.

“It’s very important to change your password once a year because hackers can use that information to take your photos, your address, even your credit card information because they are getting new ways to crack that information,” said Alex Pham, a cybersecurity expert.

According to the website Have I Been Pwned, hackers have hit more than 10 billion accounts. The information they steal by infiltrating your accounts includes:
Passwords, password hints, locations, usernames, employers, job titles, phone numbers, social media accounts and much more.

Many password managers have had security upgrades which can keep you safe and relieve the stress of remembering so many passwords.

“You can keep your passwords in a central location, update them and refer back to them in an easy, quick manner,” Pham said.

Changing passwords can take some time, but in the long run it’s worth it, because hackers won’t take a holiday. Hacker tools have advanced as well, which is why it’s important for you to use a complex password, not something simple like a birthday or 1-2-3-4-5-6.