Usernames are essential for security and anonymity online. But some people come up with username ideas to stand out or align with a brand. Usernames can also help gain followers or build a social media following.
With so many possibilities, coming up with username ideas can be challenging! Luckily, there are plenty of tools and methods to create unique usernames.
Whether you're aiming for fame or privacy, we have username ideas to help you create unique usernames easily!
Using unique credentials (including passwords and usernames) can mitigate many cybersecurity vulnerabilities. When paired with a <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">password manager like TeamPassword</a>, strong usernames and passwords can protect you against attacks. Sign up for a 14-day free TeamPassword trial today!
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<h2>Why You Need to Use Unique Usernames</h2>
There are several reasons people want unique usernames ideas:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Security</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Anonymity</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Popularity</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Humor</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Business name ideas</li>
</ul>
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<h3>Unique Usernames for Security</h3>
Many people don't know about the importance of using unique or secure usernames for online security. Reusing usernames can be just as troublesome as <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/colonial-pipeline-ransomware-attack-dont-reuse-passwords">reusing passwords</a>.
If criminals steal your credentials from a <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/category/data-breaches">data breach</a>, they can use your username to figure out where else you have accounts and deploy spear-phishing attacks using fake correspondence to steal your credentials.
For example, hackers will send you a "password reset" from Instagram because they "suspect suspicious activity!" If you use unique usernames for every account, the attackers won't find your Instagram profile!
Don't think that you won't fall for these ploys! Many individuals with regular cybersecurity training fall victim to phishing attacks. Cybercriminals know that if they keep trying, they'll catch you when you're distracted or in a hurry.&nbsp;
In effect, unique usernames act as a second password, preventing anyone from finding your accounts with a single username.
What are some username mistakes that could put you at risk?
Don't use easy-to-guess information that could be found elsewhere on the web or sensitive info such as your social security or phone number.&nbsp;
<h4>What should not be included in a username so that it's secure?</h4>
<ol>
<li>
Personal Information: Avoid using any personal information such as your real name, date of birth, or address as part of your username.
</li>
<li>
Passwords or PINs: Do not use your passwords, PINs or other sensitive information as your username.
</li>
<li>
TMI: Do not include too much information that could potentially give away your identity, such as your phone number or email address.
</li>
<li>
Phishing Traps: Do not include any words or phrases that could be used in phishing attempts, such as "password", "admin", "login", etc.
</li>
</ol>
<h3></h3>
<h3>Unique Usernames for Anonymity</h3>
Aligned with security is anonymity. Maintaining anonymity online can protect you from cyberattacks and prevent work colleagues, clients, and other companies or individuals from finding you online.
Many people want to separate their professional profiles from their personal ones while maintaining an online presence. Using unique usernames can hide the profiles you prefer to keep private.
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<h3>Unique Usernames for Fame, Popularity, Attention</h3>
A good Instagram username can help you stand out and boost your online presence. If your username is unique or obscure, it could lead to more profile clicks and followers.
A good example is French Connection UK or @FCUK. At first glance, the username looks like an expletive, drawing people's attention to the brand.
People often use made-up words, obscure combinations, and other naming conventions to grab attention online.
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<h3>Unique Usernames for Humor</h3>
Humor is another reason people often want unique username ideas. For example, @PickledElephantTusk is sure to get people's attention and perhaps a chuckle at the ridiculousness.
Funny usernames are great for social media profiles, but you might want to avoid these if you're trying to aim for security or anonymity!
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<h3>Business Name Ideas</h3>
Most startups want a unique brand name, including URL and social media usernames. Startups can ensure that every digital touchpoint is unique to their brand by choosing an available unique username first.
While using the same username is necessary for branding on social media channels, companies should always choose different, unidentifiable usernames for non-public accounts&mdash;email marketing apps, keyword research tools, productivity tools, accounting apps, etc.
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<h2>How Can You Get Unique Usernames Ideas?</h2>
There are many places you go for unique username ideas. Here are a few of our best sources for inspiration:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Pinterest</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Username generators</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Google Search - type a word and look through the autocompletes. This is also an excellent way to find trending usernames</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Instagram hashtags</li>
</ul>
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<h2>Here are a Couple of Methods for Thinking of Great Usernames Ideas</h2>
If you're looking for inspiration, here are three methods for coming up with great username ideas. We've included processes for creativity, speed, and security.
<h3>Creating Your Own Unique Usernames</h3>
The best way to create unique username ideas is by combining two or three mismatched words with a number. First, come up with two or three categories, and then pick a word from each.
For example, let&rsquo;s choose the two categories fish, and US State:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">US State: Idaho</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Fish: Pufferfish</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Number: 13</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">@IdahoPufferfish13</li>
</ul>
You can come up with funny and cute usernames using this method. It's also a fantastic creative exercise some people might find entertaining.
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<h3>Use a Username Generator</h3>
If you don't want to waste time coming up with usernames yourself, a username generator is a fantastic option to create unique usernames fast!
Some username generator tools will let you add a prefix, suffix, or number and randomize the rest. This method works well if you're trying to find unique username ideas for a specific industry, like fitness, health, tech, etc.
Some username generators even provide a social media search function to see if your unique username is available on the relevant platforms&mdash;providing you speed and efficiency!
Random username generators are also excellent for security because you avoid familiarity, making it less likely for attackers to find you.
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<h3>Use a Password Generator</h3>
Password generators are great for creating unique username ideas. Password generators produce random strings with letters and numbers, significantly reducing the possibility of someone identifying you.
Try creating a username with TeamPassword's password generator:
<ol>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Visit our <a href="https://teampassword.com/password-generator" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">free password generator</a></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Deselect symbols (most platforms don't allow symbols in the username. Keep this selected if your platform does allow it!)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Our password generator only allows a minimum of 12 characters. If you need a shorter user name, drop the characters you don't need</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Copy/paste your random username to use when signing up for a new account</li>
</ol>
Remember to use our password generator with uppercase, lowercase, symbols, and numbers to create a secure unique password.&nbsp;
TeamPassword's password manager features a built-in password generator that suggests and pastes a strong password into forms during signup or resets. <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">Sign up for a free 14-day free trial</a> to start managing your usernames and passwords securely.
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<h2>How You Can Secure Your Accounts Using a Password Manager</h2>
Usernames and passwords are the keys to your individual and company accounts. These credentials prevent attackers from breaching your devices, networks, social media, apps, financial services, and more.
Most companies have hundreds of accounts requiring authentication daily. Often team members need to share access, especially for social media, research tools, productivity apps, store accounts, and marketing tools, to name a few.
<a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/secure-password-sharing">Sharing credentials</a> over email, chat, or via spreadsheets exposes your company, clients, employees, and users to many cybersecurity risks. In some states and countries, sharing passwords this way is illegal!
Using a <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">password manager</a> is a secure and efficient way to store and share your company's credentials.
Here are five reasons to choose TeamPassword for your company:
<ol>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Affordable - Enterprise-grade password managers are often expensive. TeamPassword provides small businesses, agencies, and startups with an affordable password management solution.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Secure - TeamPassword is an <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/what-is-password-encryption-and-how-much-is-enough">accredited secure hosting provider</a> using state-of-the-art encryption technology. We store your passwords using AES-256, trusted by US government agencies and many other organizations globally.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Efficient - Share and revoke access in TeamPassword with a single click. Quickly create passwords using our built-in <a href="https://teampassword.com/password-generator">secure password generator</a>.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Scalable - TeamPassword's plans scale with your business. Start with as few as five members and upgrade your plan as your workforce expands.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Flexible - Employees can sign into accounts using TeamPassword's Chrome, Firefox, or Safari browser extensions&mdash;catering to both Apple and Windows users.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
</ol>
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<h2>Password Management With TeamPassword</h2>
TeamPassword makes it easy and secure to share credentials with employees, clients, freelancers, and contractors. Everyone gets a separate TeamPassword login to manage access and monitor activity.
TeamPassword encrypts your passwords, making it impossible for employees (or even TeamPassword staff) to preview raw credentials.
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<h3>Sharing Access With Groups</h3>
Add your team to TeamPassword and create groups to share access to your various accounts. If an employee, contractor, or freelancer leaves the team, simply remove them from the group&mdash;no need to worry about changing passwords!
If you're an agency working with multiple clients and accounts, one TeamPassword account is all you need! Just increase your plan accordingly.
&nbsp; &nbsp;
<h3>Activity Logging</h3>
Keep track of TeamPassword activity, just like an enterprise password manager does. Monitor logins, password changes, credential sharing, and more to spot suspicious activity.
TeamPassword also lets you set up email notifications&mdash;helpful in monitoring sensitive accounts or specific actions, like sharing or adding new users.
&nbsp; &nbsp;
<h3>Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)</h3>
Enabling 2FA on your TeamPassword account prevents attackers from gaining access, even if they steal your employee's username and password.
TeamPassword uses the Google Authenticator app (iOS &amp; Android), requiring a six-digital randomly generated code as the second authentication step. Without the employee's device, hackers can't complete TeamPassword authentication.
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<h2>Start With a Free Trial</h2>
Coming up with unique username ideas isn't enough to protect your company's digital assets from attack. Protect your company's usernames and passwords with <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">TeamPassword</a>.
<a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">Sign up for a 14-day free trial</a> to test our robust and efficient sharing features with your team today!

See the best way to come up with a new username. We break down types of usernames and give you the best username ideas out there.

See the best way to come up with a new username. We break down types of usernames, why ...

Username ideas to make your logins more secure

See the best way to come up with a new username. We break down types of usernames, why secure usernames are important, and how to create them effectively!

Best types of usernames: username ideas to make your logins more secure

<h2>Secure Passwords Checklist: 10 Things You Need to Do to Keep Passwords Safe</h2>
There's no such thing as being too safe, especially when it comes to your passwords. As your personal data's one and only line of defence, you don't want to be caught cutting corners with your password when cybercriminals and hackers show up looking to crack your codes and steal your information. For this reason, it's absolutely&nbsp;essential to follow this secure passwords checklist to make sure you keep your passwords safe. Read on to see if there's anything you need to change &mdash; odds are, there will be.
Sign up for a <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">free TeamPassword trial</a> to take advantage of the TeamPassword password manager today.
<h2>Keep Passwords on a Need-to-Know Basis</h2>
Perhaps unsurprisingly, one of the leading causes of cybersecurity breaches is password sharing. It happens quite&nbsp;often, and for relatively innocent reasons: For example, say&nbsp;you tell your Netflix login to someone who then tells it to someone else who then tells it to someone else. Before long, a few dozen people have the same username and password you use for your banking, your social media, and your bills. The only way to prevent this is to simply not <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/the-most-secure-way-to-share-passwords" target="_blank" rel="noopener">share your passwords</a> with anyone who doesn't need to know them.
<h2>Don't Reuse Old Passwords.</h2>
While it might be tempting to reuse the same password with a different variation each time you're asked to reset it, you should&nbsp;resist this urge and go with a new password each time. If you continue to switch up a letter here or a number there while sticking to the same basic password, it'll be incredibly simple for cybercriminals to crack your logins and have their way with your personal data and vital info.
<h2>Two-Factor Authentication Is a Must</h2>
When given the opportunity to enable two-factor authentication, you should&nbsp;absolutely go for it. Two-factor authentication sends a call, a text, or an email to your personal device when logging in, preventing <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/have-i-been-hacked-how-to-know-for-sure" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hackers</a> or cybercriminals from having such easy access to your login. Even if they have your username and password, it's pretty unlikely that they'll be able to&nbsp;see your texts or answer your phone.
<h2>Make Sure Each Website Has Its Own Unique Password</h2>
Plenty of us are guilty of using the same password across all our different accounts. It's easy to remember, and it allows you to log in faster, but it also makes you more vulnerable to widespread hacking if someone ends up getting their hands on your password. If the same virtual key fits in all of your online padlocks, cybercriminals can have an open season on your data and info with ease. Each new website should get its own unique password.
<h2>Change Your Passwords Often</h2>
If it ain't broke, why fix it, right? When it comes to passwords, this is dead wrong. Not every website prompts its users to change their password frequently, so it's easy to forget that this is one of the most essential defence mechanism against getting hacked. Change your passwords often &mdash; once every month&nbsp;or so, if you can bear to. It'll absolutely be worth your while in the long run because it essentially turns you into a virtual moving target.
<h2>Think Phrases Instead of Words</h2>
While the word "password" suggests something short and simple, you should&nbsp;start thinking of phrases instead of words. Passphrases are longer and more complex than passwords, and they make things harder to crack for cybercriminals while staying easy to remember for you. A song lyric, a favourite quote, anything &mdash; the longer and more obscure it is, the safer you'll be.
<h2>Use a Password Manager</h2>
Now that you've made up some complex passphrases that are unique to each website you log in to, you're going to need a safe place to store all of them. Obviously, it's not very safe to just write them down on a piece of paper or a Word document out in the open. <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Password managers</a> safely and securely encrypt your various passwords, making them virtually impenetrable to hackers and cybercriminals.
Sign up for a <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">free TeamPassword trial</a> to take advantage of the TeamPassword password manager today.
<h2>Log Out, Then Close the Window</h2>
It's really tempting to leave all our favourite tabs up on our laptops or our phones so that we can have easy access to all our websites and things. Unfortunately, if your device falls into the wrong hands, you've essentially made it easier than ever for your passwords to be <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/the-scariest-data-breaches-of-all-time" target="_blank" rel="noopener">breached</a> &mdash; especially if you're still logged in across all your tabs. The best thing you can do is to log out and close out of your tab when you're done with it. (And you can always bookmark the site instead of leaving it open.)
<h2>Beware of Public Networks</h2>
Free Wi-Fi has been a staple of coffee shops, restaurants, stores, and countless other public places for years now. As such, it was only a matter of time before hackers found a way to take advantage of this. Public networks are much less secure than home internet connections, and you're a lot more vulnerable to having your passwords stolen when logging into your various accounts on these public Wi-Fi hotspots. If you must connect to a public network, use a VPN (virtual private network) to secure yourself.
<h2>Take Caution When Choosing Reset Options</h2>
When you choose your security questions when creating a new username and password, you should&nbsp;always be sure not to choose answers that could be easily discovered on the internet: Things like your pet's name that you posted on social media, the name of the street you used to live on, or even your mother's maiden name. When you go with these sorts of questions, you make it easier for someone to come along and reset your password without your knowledge, effectively locking you out of your own account with relative ease.
<h2>The Bottom Line: Password Safety Is Essential</h2>
At the end of the day,&nbsp;password safety is just as essential as locking your front door or your car &mdash; if not more. By following this secure passwords checklist and using <a href="https://teampassword.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TeamPassword</a>'s password manager to store all your login info, you'll be able to better ensure your online safety across the board. Sign up for a <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">free trial</a> today.

When it comes to online security, you can never be too safe, especially with passwords. These 10 tips will help you develop secure passwords

When it comes to online security, you can never be too safe, especially with passwords. These 10 tips ...

10 Things You Need to Do to Keep Passwords Safe

<h2>What Is a Brute Force Attack, and Are You at Risk?</h2>
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A brute force attack is when hackers use trial and error to guess login credentials, encryption keys, or some other hidden information. Hackers essentially work through all possible codes of characters in order until one of the combinations works.
The attack is called &ldquo;brute force&rdquo; because it is just an unsophisticated use of login attempts to get into an account. It is essentially an overwhelming attempt to &ldquo;force&rdquo; one&rsquo;s way into a secured location.
This is one of the oldest forms of attacks, but it is still popular today. It can take anywhere from seconds to longer than the age of the Universe to crack a password using this method depending on the complexity of the chosen password and the amount of cloud computing resources put to use in the attack.
To prevent brute force and related attacks, you need to ensure your team is using long, complex, and random passwords. This is best accomplished using a password manager.&nbsp;
<a href="https://teampassword.com/">TeamPassword</a> keeps all your passwords safe and up to date so that they are there when you need them.
TeamPassword lets you safely share passwords with teammates while ensuring that your projects are safe.
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Sign up today for a <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">free 14-day TeamPassword trial</a> and protect your company's digital assets from cybercriminals.
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<h2>Types of brute force and related attacks</h2>
While the traditional brute force attack is unsophisticated and relies on cycling through all random combinations of permissible characters, meaning that the word &ldquo;password&rdquo; is equally safe (or not safe) as the combination &ldquo;aT./$x6m&rdquo;, in practice, brute force attacks are modified or combined with others making <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/colonial-pipeline-ransomware-attack-dont-reuse-passwords">reused</a> or common passwords far less safe. The following are some of the brute force and related attacks used today:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Simple brute force attacks</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Dictionary attacks</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Hybrid brute force attacks</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Reverse brute force attacks</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Credential stuffing</li>
</ul>
<h3>Simple brute force attacks</h3>
The simple brute force attack simply cycles through all possible passwords in order. As an overly simple example, if your login information allows only lowercase, six-digit passwords, then it would start at &ldquo;aaaaaa&rdquo;, go to &ldquo;aaaaab&rdquo;, and so on until hitting &ldquo;zzzzzz.&rdquo;
<h3>Dictionary attacks</h3>
Dictionary attacks are often used as the prelude to a brute force attack. They are not brute force attacks themselves, but in combination with a brute force, attack make it far more likely that the brute force attack will succeed.&nbsp;
In these attacks, the hacker first tries all words in a dictionary. These dictionaries include not only the words you&rsquo;d find in the Merriam-Webster dictionary but also variations of the words and lists of commonly used passwords as well. For example, instead of just &ldquo;password,&rdquo; you&rsquo;d find &ldquo;Password,&rdquo; &ldquo;p4ssw0rd&rdquo;, &ldquo;Pa55W0rd123&rdquo;, and so on.&nbsp;
This is why both complex and unique passwords are needed.
<h3>Hybrid brute force attacks</h3>
The hybrid attack is the mixture of the simple brute force attack and dictionary attack mentioned above. They are particularly good at finding common passwords that have been mixed with some form of <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/password-best-practices-what-makes-a-password-strong">padding</a>.
Padding is when you take a password, e.g., &ldquo;Password,&rdquo; and then add a set of random characters to the end, e.g., &ldquo;1.1/1.1/2.2/2.2&rdquo;. While &ldquo;Password1.1/1.1/2.2/2.2&rdquo; is a much stronger password than either half separately, these hybrid systems will run a brute force method for cracking the padding behind common passwords.
<h3>Reverse brute force attacks</h3>
Instead of running through billions of potential passwords, the reverse brute force method uses a common password and then tries to find any account using that password. For example, knowing that the password &ldquo;qwerty&rdquo; is still disastrously common, the hacker will keep using that password while trying to find usernames of people who have unfortunately not updated their password thinking since the last millennium.
<h3>Credential stuffing</h3>
This method works with username-password combinations that have been <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/have-i-been-pwnd-what-to-do-when-it-happens">pwned</a>. Being &ldquo;pwned&rdquo; means that your credentials have been leaked online.&nbsp;
Since many users reuse their login information on many sites, hackers will check a known password&ndash;username combination across hundreds of other sites in hopes that someone has reused their pwned credentials.&nbsp;
In our quest to become more secure, passwords become less and less easy to remember. This leads to password reuse. Let <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">TeamPassword</a> take care of securely remembering your team&rsquo;s passwords, so they don&rsquo;t use the same passwords as on less secure sites.
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<a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">Sign up for a 14-day free trial</a>, so TeamPassword can start protecting your network today!
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<h2>Tools that Aid Brute Force Attempts</h2>
It goes without saying that this isn&rsquo;t being discussed to encourage password cracking, but just to see exactly what you are up against when trying to secure a network. Hackers have created an entire ecosystem of tools to aid them in their nefarious actions, and you should be aware of them to appreciate just how hard it is to maintain a secure network.
<h3>Automated tools&nbsp;help with brute force attacks.</h3>
Instead of manually entering every possible password, it is unsurprising that hackers have created automated software to run their brute force attacks. These automated programs can run through dictionary attacks as well.&nbsp;
Many of these tools have workarounds to work against computer protocols (e.g., MySQL and Telnet), hack wireless routers, decrypt passwords in encrypted storage, translate words to different forms (e.g., password, p4ssw0rd, and Pa55WoRd), and identify weak passwords.
<h3>Some tools can scan pre-compute rainbow tables.</h3>
A rainbow table is a pre-computed table for caching the output of cryptographic hash functions, usually for cracking password hashes. Thus, scanning rainbow tables removes the hardest part of the brute force attack to speed up the rate of cracking.
<h3>GPU Speeds Brute Force Attempts</h3>
Brute force attacks require a huge amount of computation. GPUs can do this work much more easily than CPUs, so many brute-force software packages enable the use of GPUs.
<h3>Combining the CPU and GPU&nbsp;</h3>
Combining CPUs and GPUs accelerates computing power even further. GPUs can process parallelizable processes incredibly quickly. That is, any computing process that can be broken down into many smaller components to be run at the same time can be done across the thousands of computing cores in the GPU at a rapid pace. With this method. Hackers can crack passwords about 250 times faster than a CPU alone.
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<h2>How effective is a complex password against a brute force attack?&nbsp;</h2>
Brute force attacks can be thwarted by long, complex passwords. However, that doesn&rsquo;t mean you are entirely without vulnerability just because you force users on your network to pick complex passwords.&nbsp;
Let&rsquo;s assume you make everyone on your network choose a password with a minimum length of 12 characters with at least one lowercase letter, uppercase letter, number, and special character. That is, it meets the following requirements:&nbsp;
Lowercase letter {abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz}
Uppercase letter {ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ}
Number {0123456789}
Character {!@#$%^&amp;*()_+{}|:"&lt;&gt;?~`-=[]\;',./}
This is very effective against a brute force attack: to crack that password by trying 20,000,000,000 attempts per second, which can be accomplished using a cloud computing platform, would take an average of 3,300 years. But is that enough?
Although it would prevent a pure, simple brute force attack, if a hybrid brute force attack were used instead, then it would depend on how unique the password is as well. If your employee chooses the password &ldquo;Password-123&rdquo;, then chances are it will be found in the dictionary prelude to the brute force attack, and a hacker will be on your network in seconds.
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<h2>What do hackers gain from Brute Force Attacks?</h2>
Brute force attacks are not cheap. Either the hackers need to own a huge computing service or pay for that server time. Alternatively, they might spend years developing a botnet to carry out the attack. So, where is the payoff? Well, hackers can profit in many different ways:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Profiting from ads or collecting activity data</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Stealing personal data and valuables</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Spreading malware to cause disruptions</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Hijacking your system for malicious activity</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Ruining a website&rsquo;s reputation</li>
</ul>
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<h2>How can you reduce your risk of brute force attacks?</h2>
There are many ways you can reduce your risk of brute force attacks. Often, just being a difficult target is enough online as there are still people using &ldquo;12345678&rdquo; as their password, and the reduced effort makes them a more profitable target.
<h3>Longer passwords with varied character types</h3>
Whenever possible, use long, complex passwords with lowercase and uppercase letters, numbers, and special characters.&nbsp;
<h3>Elaborate passphrases</h3>
If a site allows you to create passwords of any length, consider a passphrase&mdash;or the combination of many words&mdash;mixed with special characters. For example, instead of &ldquo;H3ll0#&rdquo;, try &ldquo;hello.MY-nAmE/15_what&rdquo;. The sheer length combined with special characters and numbers makes it much harder to crack through brute force or dictionary attacks.
<h3>Stay away from frequently used passwords.</h3>
Passwords need to be complex and unique! One or the other will not fool hackers for even a minute.
<h3>Use unique passwords for every site you use</h3>
It is always worth reiterating: never reuse passwords. If your password is pwned on Fortnight, that might be annoying. If the hackers then use that password to empty your bank account, it goes from upsetting to months or years of misery.
<h3>Remove unused accounts</h3>
Keep your network safe by removing old users regularly and immediately if they have high permissions.
<h3>Use a password manager.</h3>
The best thing you can do to prevent a brute force attack is to help your users create strong passwords by providing a password manager. Only with <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">TeamPassword</a> can you facilitate your team in becoming proactive participants in network security.&nbsp;
&rlm;&rlm;&lrm; &lrm;
<a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">Sign up for a 14-day free trial</a> to test TeamPassword with your team members today.

A brute force attack is when hackers use trial and error to guess login credentials. but how can you protect yourself from their attacks?

A brute force attack is when hackers use trial and error to guess login credentials. but how can ...

What is a brute force attack and are you at risk?

By now, we all know that&nbsp;hacking is no joke. Your identity can be taken in a matter of seconds &mdash; with it, all your personal and financial information. A corporate cyber attack can be devastating, but large corporations usually have their own security teams to help get their systems back online. However, the&nbsp;effects of an attack&nbsp;on a small business can be almost impossible to recover from.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.teampassword.com/" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">TeamPassword</a>&nbsp;is built to protect your company&rsquo;s most important information and ensure that the right people have easy access when they need it.
<h3 id="ensuring-that-you-re-using-strong-passwords-is-the-first-and-most-important-step-in-protecting-your-online-information-there-are-two-main-questions-to-consider-here-">Ensuring that you&rsquo;re using&nbsp;<a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/password-best-practices-what-makes-a-strong-password" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">strong passwords</a>&nbsp;is the first and most important step in protecting your online information. There are two main questions to consider here:</h3>
<ol>
<li>How easy would it be for a human to guess your password?</li>
<li>How easy would it be for a computer to guess your password?</li>
</ol>
<h3 id="review-the-checklist-below-to-decide-whether-your-passwords-are-strong-enough-to-keep-out-hackers-"><img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/DA8Wvm4LRwWR3palIUmZ" width="497" height="165" /></h3>
TeamPassword provides <a href="https://teampassword.com/password-generator" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">free tools</a> to generate new passwords and test your current ones.&nbsp;
<h3>Review the checklist below to decide whether your passwords are strong enough to keep out hackers.</h3>
<ul>
<li>Does your password include personal information that would be easy for someone to guess? This might include your spouse&rsquo;s or significant other&rsquo;s name, the names or ages of your children, the names of pets, your hometown, the type of car you drive, or your mother&rsquo;s maiden name.</li>
<li>Does your password include sequential numbers or letters? (1234567, abcdefg, 1111111, zyxwvu, etc.)</li>
<li>Is your password a string of letters on your keyboard? (qwerty, lkjhgf, zxcvbnm)</li>
<li>Do you use the same password across several platforms? (If someone can hack into one account, they can get into them all!)</li>
</ul>
If you answered &ldquo;yes&rdquo; to any of the above, then it is definitely time to update those passwords!
<h3 id="use-these-tips-to-ensure-your-password-is-strong-secure-and-as-hacker-proof-as-possible-">Use these tips to ensure your password is as strong, secure, and hacker-proof.&nbsp;</h3>
<ul>
<li>Your password should be long (6-34 characters, but longer is better, so why not shoot for 42 or 67?!). Today&rsquo;s brute-force cracking software can unscramble 6-10 character passwords in seconds.</li>
<li>Your password should be complex: It contains both upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters.</li>
<li>Your password should be randomized: It is not necessarily a real word but a random jumble of characters and numbers. This makes it nearly impossible to break and harder for you to remember, so you&rsquo;ll need to devise a system to safely store your randomized passwords &mdash; password managers like TeamPassword generate, store and remember them for you.</li>
<li>Create a passphrase: String several words together to make a short sentence (using upper and lowercase letters) or make up a mnemonic device to help you remember.</li>
<li>Your password should be unique: You use a different password for every platform, app, and the website you log into.</li>
</ul>
It&rsquo;s also important to remember that your overall password security is only as good as the weakest security on the website you&rsquo;re using. If one website is compromised and you&rsquo;re using the same password across several sites, you&rsquo;re at extremely high risk of being hacked. If you&rsquo;re wary of a website&rsquo;s security, it may be wise to create a different email (think of it as your &ldquo;burner&rdquo; email) for that account, so if the site&rsquo;s security is compromised, the account isn&rsquo;t tied to your primary email. In this case, you could also generate a randomized username and password to be extra safe.
<h3 id="how-often-should-you-change-your-passwords">How often should you change your passwords?</h3>
Start with strong passwords; you shouldn&rsquo;t worry too much about them. Unless a service is compromised or you know someone has your password, it will be very difficult to crack a password that follows the above rules. If you receive a notice that a website you use has been breached, you should immediately change that password &mdash; but if you&rsquo;re using a password that&rsquo;s unique only to that site, you won&rsquo;t need to worry about your other accounts.&nbsp;
You can check if your password has been compromised at&nbsp;<a href="https://haveibeenpwned.com." rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">haveibeenpwned</a>.
It&rsquo;s advised to update your passwords every year or so, which looks different depending on the account. For instance, you could change your company's CRM accounts after the new year or your banking information after tax season.&nbsp;&nbsp;
For a more in-depth guide, see <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/how-often-should-you-change-your-password-the-importance-of-password-safety" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">here</a>.&nbsp;
If you&rsquo;re worried about your company&rsquo;s online security or think your passwords are putting your personal information at risk, then it&rsquo;s time to&nbsp;consider using a password management system that can guarantee safety. Learn how we can keep your business and personal life safe at&nbsp;<a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/features" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">TeamPassword</a>!

By now, we all know that hacking is no joke . Your identity can be taken in a matter of seconds — and with it, all your personal and financi

By now, we all know that hacking is no joke . Your identity can be taken in a ...

Checklist — How to Hacker-Proof Your Passwords

By now, we all know that hacking is no joke . Your identity can be taken in a matter of seconds — and with it, all your personal and financial information. A corporate cyber attack can be devastating, but large corporations usually have their own security teams to help get ...

Looking for an alternative to Bitwarden? Read about these top five competitors to help you choose the password manager that's right for you.

There are so many Bitwarden alternatives on the market, each with unique selling points. Here are comparisons between ...

Top 5 Bitwarden Alternatives for 2023

There are so many Bitwarden alternatives on the market, each with unique selling points. Here are comparisons between five of the best to help you and your team make an informed choice about password management.

Do you have trouble coming up with strong passwords? This problem isn&rsquo;t going away. According to <a href="https://www.darkreading.com/endpoint/average-employee-manages-nearly-200-passwords" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">Dark Reading</a>, the average employee uses over 200 passwords and needs to enter them 154 times per day. If you have trouble creating unique passwords, then it might be time to use TeamPassword&rsquo;s free password generator.
<a href="https://teampassword.com/password-generator" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">See how easy it is to use TeamPassword&rsquo;s random password generator.</a>
<h2>What is a password generator?</h2>
A password generator is a tool that creates strong, random passwords that you can use when creating a new account or updating old, easy to guess, or recycled passwords on current accounts. Your level of cybersecurity is only as strong as your weakest link, which is often the quality of your passwords.&nbsp;
A password generator helps you make <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/tips-and-tricks-to-create-a-strong-password" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">strong passwords</a> for all of your accounts. But that&rsquo;s not all. Random password generators should have several added tools to make it easier for you to generate passwords.&nbsp;
Here are three of them.
<h3>Fit any requirements</h3>
TeamPassword&rsquo;s free password generator can be customized to meet the requirements of any password. You can toggle the inclusion of uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. There is also a sliding bar that allows you to choose any length of password, from 12 to 30 characters.&nbsp;
Note that we recommend including every type of character and using the maximum length to generate the strongest passwords possible. However, not all tools allow for such long passwords or the inclusion of symbols yet. That&rsquo;s why these toggles are so valuable.
<h3>Test the strength of your password</h3>
How strong do you think your passwords are? You might be surprised to learn that not all passwords, not even all long passwords, are built the same. TeamPassword&rsquo;s free password generator has a side-by-side password strength checker. That way you can check just how strong your current passwords are and then compare them to your new strong passwords.
Here are three examples of weak passwords:
<ul>
<li>aaaaaaaaaaaa (15 seconds to crack): The fact is that longer passwords aren&rsquo;t always stronger. Each additional &ldquo;a&rdquo; only adds a second to the crack time because there&rsquo;s no variety of characters to add complication. This makes a <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/what-is-a-brute-force-attack-and-are-you-at-risk" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">brute force attack</a> quick and easy.</li>
<li>Passw0rd (less than 1 second to crack): This password does have uppercase letters, lowercase letters, and numbers, but it will become a victim of a <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/what-is-a-brute-force-attack-and-are-you-at-risk" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">dictionary attack</a>. This is where the most popular passwords (like &ldquo;password&rdquo;) and their derivatives (like &ldquo;Passw0rd&rdquo;) are tested before a general brute force attack.</li>
<li>1Db-3lR~ (4 months to crack): This is a really good password in a lot of ways. It has uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and a couple of different symbols. However, that&rsquo;s not enough anymore. Powerful botnets can crack even complicated eight-character passwords in short order. That&rsquo;s why you should always use the maximum allowable password length!</li>
</ul>
Here are two strong passwords:
<ul>
<li>+\W|O3SIt!`7 (centuries to crack): This is a 12-character password created using a strong password generator. It is completely random and would take centuries to crack.</li>
<li>jyKP~Yz|+{yBq+T{6`&lt;*(2/kF3/zg&gt;si (centuries to crack): This is a 32-character password created using a strong password generator. As you can see, it still says centuries to crack. While it is clearly much, much stronger than the first password, once you reach &ldquo;centuries to crack&rdquo; any additional cybersecurity value is less meaningful so we&rsquo;ve decided to just measure the strongest passwords with this time frame.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
<h3>Integrates with a password vault</h3>
Password generators are great for making strong, random passwords. However, these passwords can be hard to remember. When the average employee needs over 200 accounts and enters them 154 times a day, that&rsquo;s a problem.
At best, this kills productivity as they click &ldquo;forgot password&rdquo; and wait for another password reset email. At worst, they&rsquo;ll reuse the same, easy to crack password for every account, leaving your business vulnerable.&nbsp;
That&rsquo;s why you need a password generator and a password vault. When they are integrated, the password generator produces strong, random passwords and the password vault keeps them safe and accessible for every authorized member of your team.&nbsp;
<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/DByAitd8SdmIChWqiPMb" alt="undefined" width="500" height="337">
<a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">TeamPassword</a> is a password vault designed for businesses. We make it easy to save, store, and access all of your accounts. &nbsp;
<h2>What are the three most important characteristics of a good password generator?</h2>
The following are the three things you should look for when judging the best password generator:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>Strong password generator: The password generator should not permit you to make weak passwords. The point of a password generator is to help you create stronger passwords than you would on your own.</li>
<li>Random password generator: Make sure that any password generator you use states clearly that it makes random passwords. Otherwise, they could come from a list and lead you to having different cybersecurity risks. Don&rsquo;t use a password generator if you don&rsquo;t trust the website it is on!</li>
<li>Free password generator: There is no reason to pay for a password generator. TeamPassword&rsquo;s password generator is free forever.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
<h2>The pros and cons of using a password generator</h2>
<a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/why-should-i-use-a-password-generator" rel="follow">We recommend you use a password generator</a> because there are loads of advantages. However, there are also some clear disadvantages to using one as well.
<h3>The advantages of using a password generator</h3>
Password generators help you <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/tips-and-tricks-to-create-a-strong-password" rel="follow">create stronger passwords</a> than you would on your own. They also produce random passwords, which is something that many people don&rsquo;t do. These are two of the biggest benefits to using a password generator.&nbsp;
Another major advantage of password generators is that they are easy to use. You can generate 100 strong passwords in a minute. This makes it less likely that you will reuse passwords, which goes against our recommended <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/ultimate-guide-to-password-security-teampassword" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">password best practices</a>.&nbsp;
If you have recently undertaken a <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/how-to-audit-passwords" rel="follow">password audit</a>, then you may find that you should change 10 or 20 of your old passwords at once. This is where the speed and ease of use of a strong, random password generator really comes in handy. In fact, you may decide that you should just update all of your passwords at once.
<h3>The disadvantages of using a password generator</h3>
While password generators are beneficial, there are some downsides to their use. The first one is obvious, because it is the main issue with all passwords. A strong, random password is also a hard to remember password.&nbsp;
<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/v148DGuMRDS7ade8tYpC" alt="undefined">
If you are planning to keep all of your passwords in your head, then it might be better to go with easier to remember <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/how-to-build-a-passphrase" rel="follow">passphrases</a>. However, even then with the estimated 200 passwords you need to remember, it might not be possible to remember them all.&nbsp;
That&rsquo;s why a password vault like <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">TeamPassword</a> is so critical. You no longer need to worry about remembering all of your strong, random passwords. In addition, you can share accounts with coworkers without ever telling them your passwords.
The second issue is that most password generators only allow you to include or not include symbols. However, many websites allow some symbols (usually &ldquo;.&rdquo;, &ldquo;-&rdquo;, &ldquo;~&rdquo;, and &ldquo;;&rdquo;) but not all symbols (for example, Western Michigan University suggests including the following symbols in your password: &ldquo;<a href="https://wmich.edu/arts-sciences/technology-password-tips" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">~`!@#$%^&amp;*()_-+={[}]|\:;"'&lt;,&gt;.?/</a>&rdquo;).
This may require you to copy the generated password into the new password box and then manually replace some symbols with other ones.&nbsp;
<h2>How to get the most of TeamPassword&rsquo;s free password generator</h2>
A strong, random password generator can create better passwords for you. This will help keep you and your business safe online. <a href="https://teampassword.com/password-generator" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">TeamPassword&rsquo;s free password generator</a> creates strong passwords that match the requirements of any app.&nbsp;
However, a password generator alone can only do so much to protect you and your business.&nbsp;
The fact is that strong, random passwords are easy to forget, which might lead some people to reuse their passwords or revert back to using weak ones. In addition, sharing accounts means sharing passwords, which is a huge cybersecurity threat.&nbsp;
That&rsquo;s why <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">TeamPassword</a> is so valuable to businesses.&nbsp;
You no longer need to remember all of your passwords. Instead, they are all kept safe in our secure password vault. When you need to share accounts with teammates, you only need to give them access in TeamPassword, meaning you never need to share passwords again.&nbsp;
<a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">Sign up for a 14-day free trial</a> to test TeamPassword with your team members today.

Coming up with strong, random passwords for all of your accounts is difficult. That’s why TeamPassword offers a free password generator.

Coming up with strong, random passwords for all of your accounts is difficult. That’s why TeamPassword offers a ...

How to get the most out of a password generator (2023)

How to get the most out of a strong, random password generator (2023)

In one word,&nbsp;yes.&nbsp;Absolutely. Attackers are often seeking to gain access to payment card details or to make fraudulent purchases. But that is sadly, only the beginning. Many of the records stolen during data breaches are sold and bundled into a nefarious, growing marketplace for personally identifiable information (PII) on the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jungledisk.com/blog/2019/04/11/the-dark-world-of-cybercrime/">dark web</a>. Your password and login credentials are simply a means to an end, a key that unlocks the house to your personal data. If this doesn&rsquo;t concern you yet, keep in mind that fully packaged data or &ldquo;<a href="https://www.investopedia.com/fullz-definition-4684000" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">fullz</a>&rdquo; for one person can&nbsp;<a href="https://qz.com/460482/heres-what-your-stolen-identity-goes-for-on-the-internets-black-market/">sell</a>&nbsp;from less than $1 to around $450 based on factors such as your credit score.
The truth is data security has never been more critical in our society than it is today. By 2020, it is estimated that&nbsp;<a href="https://cybersecurityventures.com/300-billion-passwords/">300 billion passwords</a>&nbsp;will be at risk. While accounts at financial and military institutions might be the most coveted information by hackers, any business that requires a log-in to access services will become a target.
Take food-service delivery giant, DoorDash, for example. On September 26, they&nbsp;<a href="https://blog.doordash.com/important-security-notice-about-your-doordash-account-ddd90ddf5996#46h35gr24e">announced</a>&nbsp;that an unauthorized third-party gained access to user data on over 4.9 million consumers this past May. Among the type of data accessed alongside profile info, emails, home addresses and phone numbers were&nbsp;<a href="https://www.techopedia.com/definition/28546/password-salting">salted passwords</a>. What does this mean for DoorDash, the&nbsp;<a href="https://adage.com/article/digital/postmates-and-uber-eats-use-doordash-tipping-fallout-opportunity-build-trust-customers/2186231">market leader</a>&nbsp;in its category with approximately 27.6 percent of market share?
Fortunately, having salted passwords for users, which involves appending an additional password to the original before hashing the entire string of characters, is a good practice to keep. Unfortunately, this data breach runs the risk of demoralizing a significant number of the company&rsquo;s early adopters. Beyond disappointing loyal and trusting users and potentially losing &nbsp;status as the market&rsquo;s top dog, the lack of data security here will have to become their number one priority.
Last year, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.idtheftcenter.org/2018-end-of-year-data-breach-report/">2018 End-of-Year Data Breach Report</a>&nbsp;from the Identity Theft Resource Center, hackers stole 447 million consumer records containing personally identifiable information (PII). This came at a 126% jump from 2017, so we can only expect that the increase in data breaches and exposed consumer records will continue to see annual growth at alarmingly exponential rates.
<h2 id="how-hackers-steal-your-password">How Hackers Steal Your Password</h2>
<h3 id="credential-stuffing-list-cleaning-or-breach-replay"><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/leemathews/2018/07/20/heres-what-hackers-do-with-all-your-stolen-passwords/#609c5bb82d99">Credential Stuffing</a>, List Cleaning or Breach Replay</h3>
Hackers test databases and stolen credentials against multiple accounts in search of a match. Again, your password is the key to your data. So these databases are &ldquo;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/leemathews/2018/07/20/heres-what-hackers-do-with-all-your-stolen-passwords/#609c5bb82d99">a key ring</a>&rdquo; increasing the possibility of breaking into your account. This type of attack accounts for more than&nbsp;<a href="https://qz.com/1329961/hackers-account-for-90-of-login-attempts-at-online-retailers/">90% of global login traffic</a>&nbsp;on e-commerce sites, making it one of the largest threats.
<h3 id="social-engineering"><a href="https://www.jungledisk.com/blog/2016/10/26/human-hacking-and-social-engineering-cyber-talk-radio-episode-5/">Social engineering</a></h3>
Social engineering or human hacking is most commonly thought of as phishing. It refers to personal and direct attempts that trick users into supplying confidential information voluntarily. Whether by phone, SMS or impersonation via&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jungledisk.com/blog/2018/09/19/common-phishing-attacks/">spear-phishing emails</a>, over&nbsp;<a href="https://healthitsecurity.com/news/hackers-exploit-urgency-personalization-in-phishing-attacks">70%</a>&nbsp;of cybercrimes begin with this type of attack.
<h3 id="password-spraying">Password Spraying</h3>
Similar to credential stuffing, minus the database and paired credentials, password spraying involves testing a list of user accounts against the most commonly known passwords. While this sounds manual and might create false hope that hackers are up against an impossible task, remember that hackers can automate most of this work and that overly-used passwords such as 123456 make this tactic quite common.
<h3 id="keylogging">Keylogging</h3>
Keylogging malware records the keystrokes you type on your keyboard and into your machine. While this requires a hacker to have access to your hardware first, hackers don&rsquo;t need to have direct physical access to your computer to infect it with malware.
<h3 id="brute-force-and-password-cracking">Brute Force and Password Cracking</h3>
Hackers run algorithms against encrypted passwords until they crack open. Although this is the most widely known method of hacking seen in media, it is also one of the least common in real life. Due to the nearly infinite number of permutations that exist and best practices like encrypted, hashed and salted passwords, this is one of the least frequented tools in a hacker&rsquo;s toolbox.
<h3 id="local-discovery">Local Discovery</h3>
This final method is the least sophisticated technologically, but still very common, unfortunately. Local discovery happens when you leave your password open in public. That&rsquo;s right, we&rsquo;re talking about that sticky note on your desk.
<h2 id="the-bottom-line">The Bottom Line</h2>
<h3 id="are-you-protecting-your-password">Are you protecting your password?</h3>
We hope by this point that you understand and agree with us. Yes, people really are trying to steal your password everyday. But don&rsquo;t let this knowledge cause you fear; instead let it inspire you to action. For starters, you can&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jungledisk.com/blog/2019/07/11/can-your-passwords-be-hacked/">hacker-proof your passwords</a>&nbsp;and review these&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jungledisk.com/blog/2019/06/10/your-passwords-arent-safe-unless-youre-taking-these-5-steps/">5 steps</a>&nbsp;to further enhance password security. If you&rsquo;re looking for inspiration, here&rsquo;s the quickest&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jungledisk.com/blog/2019/06/06/how-to-make-a-secure-password/">read</a>&nbsp;on how to make a secure password. Be sure to also check out website services that can<a href="https://haveibeenpwned.com/">&nbsp;inform and notify</a>&nbsp;you whether or not your email or password has been breached before.
Ultimately though, if you want to position yourself, your business and your passwords with the greatest line of defense, consider investing in a password manager. Not only would this investment ramp up your cybersecurity efforts, a password management tool can also solve<a href="https://www.jungledisk.com/blog/2019/09/12/7-signs-you-need-a-password-manager/">&nbsp;a variety of pain points</a>&nbsp;like having to remember all your newly crafted 16-character passphrases.
<a href="https://www.teampassword.com/">TeamPassword</a>&nbsp;is here to protect and defend you from these types of cyber attacks. A simple, secure password manager, designed from the ground up with security and best in-class encryption in mind can protect your company from data breaches and your passwords from hackers.
Get TeamPassword today!&nbsp;<a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=bcms#signup/testimonial" rel="follow">Try our free 14-day trial.</a>

Learn how hackers steal your password and what you can do to stop them.

TeamPassword's founder Brian Sierakowski walks through the ways hackers steal passwords and what you can do to stay ...

Are Hackers Really Trying to Steal Your Password?

TeamPassword's founder Brian Sierakowski walks through the ways hackers steal passwords and what you can do to stay safe.

In an increasingly digital world, we&rsquo;re switching more and more of our daily lives over to the Internet. While this brave new world is exciting and convenient, it&rsquo;s not without its problems.&nbsp;
The issue of unsafe passwords has been around for a while. But have you ever thought about where and how to store them?
Most of us have several passwords, and we&rsquo;re encouraged to never duplicate them. Some people simply write them all down on a piece of paper &mdash; which is fraught with danger. But others store their passwords electronically.
As you&rsquo;re about to find out, not all electronic systems of password storage are <a href="https://www.teampassword.com/blog/10-things-you-need-to-do-to-keep-passwords-safe" target="_blank" rel="noopener">safe</a>. Here are five of the most dangerous ways to store your passwords.&nbsp;
But before we begin:
Avoid bad idea passwords and dangerous storage methods with TeamPassword. This advanced <a href="https://www.teampassword.com/blog/why-you-need-a-password-manager" target="_blank" rel="noopener">password manager</a> features a selection of security features, including password encryption and two-step verification. Sign up for a <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial" rel="follow">free trial</a> today.&nbsp;

<h2>1. Email</h2>
Have you ever emailed yourself a password to ensure you&rsquo;re never without it? Great idea, right? Actually, emailing yourself your passwords is a really bad idea, and here&rsquo;s why:
<ul>
<li>Emails are usually sent in plain text. Without encryption, your passwords are susceptible if your email account is ever compromised.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Unsafe passwords sent via email often pass through several systems and servers. There&rsquo;ll also be a copy in your sent folder. If someone else can access your email account, your passwords become vulnerable.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Some email platforms store data locally on a drive. If someone steals your computer, phone, or tablet, your passwords become vulnerable.</li>
</ul>
A really bad idea for passwords is to send them via email &mdash; either to yourself or someone else. <a href="https://www.teampassword.com/blog/have-i-been-hacked-how-to-know-for-sure" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hackers </a>and scammers are more resourceful than ever, and they can often steal your information before you realize you&rsquo;ve been compromised.&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s tempting to send a quick email to yourself containing unsafe passwords when you sign up for new online services. For the sake of an extra minute or two, don&rsquo;t give fraudsters easy access to your accounts. Use an encrypted email vault to safeguard all your passwords.&nbsp;
<h2>2. Online Documents</h2>
A lot of people like the convenience of saving crucial information using online document systems such as Google Docs. But this is a bad idea for passwords, as these systems are designed for text &mdash; not sensitive data.
Yes, a password might protect your online document manager from unauthorized access. But what happens if that password is compromised? Many document software platforms don&rsquo;t offer encryption, two-step verification, or even the most basic security measures.&nbsp;
If you use online documents regularly, you&rsquo;re probably accessing your account on a regular basis &mdash; across several devices. What happens if you step away for a moment to buy a coffee, speak to a friend, or use the bathroom?
A criminal can access an unattended online document platform in seconds. And if this happens, it doesn't take a lot of effort to steal your unsafe passwords.&nbsp;
<h2>3. Instant Messaging Service</h2>
Instant messaging services provide us with a convenient way of staying in touch with friends and family. WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Snapchat were designed for private online conversations &mdash; not for storing passwords.
People who store their passwords on these apps do so because they believe they&rsquo;re fully encrypted. While that&rsquo;s often the case, it&rsquo;s important to remember that instant messaging services are often left open and operating in the background.
Imagine someone picks up your phone while you&rsquo;re not paying attention. If you left your device unlocked, that person would be able to access your password in seconds.
It&rsquo;s always a bad idea when passwords are stored on instant messaging services. By nature, these apps are designed to operate in the background &mdash; alerting you when someone sends a message. And because they&rsquo;re open, anyone with the device in their hand might be able to steal your unprotected passwords.&nbsp;
Don&rsquo;t fall into the trap of utilizing bad ideas for password storage. Sign up for a <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">free trial</a> with TeamPassword, and give your unsafe passwords the protection they require.
<h2>4. Online Note-taker</h2>
Developers design online note-takers for everyday lists and reminders. While they&rsquo;re great for creating to-do and shopping lists, they&rsquo;re not so good for storing unsafe passwords.&nbsp;
An app such as Apple Notes is easy to use, accessible, and convenient. But it doesn&rsquo;t offer two-step authentication, encryption, or any sophisticated form of security.&nbsp;
If your computer or mobile device is unlocked, your saved passwords are vulnerable. In many cases, a criminal would simply need to open the app to gain access to your sensitive information.&nbsp;
OK, you might be extra vigilant when it comes to keeping your phone or computer locked. But hackers are resourceful, and they&rsquo;re very good at discovering unsafe passwords. Once they access your phone, any passwords stored in your note-taking app become vulnerable.&nbsp;
<h2>5. On a Non-Password-Protected Device</h2>
Of all the bad ideas for passwords, storing them on non-password-protected devices is about the worst. You might think that your tablet or laptop never leaves your side. But if your device is ever stolen, you&rsquo;ve given the criminals the easiest possible opportunity to access your saved passwords.&nbsp;
If you&rsquo;re determined to store passwords on a physical device &mdash; which is never a good idea &mdash; make sure the device password is a complex combination of letters, numbers, and symbols. And it should contain at least 12 characters.&nbsp;
<h2>Use TeamPassword for Extra Protection</h2>
Remembering and safely storing a dozen or more passwords isn&rsquo;t a simple task. By locking away all your passwords in a digital vault, you get maximum protection and easy access.&nbsp;
TeamPassword offers a range of <a href="https://www.teampassword.com/security" target="_blank" rel="noopener">security features</a> &mdash; designed to keep your passwords safe. Offering two-step authentication and encryption, this powerful protection system solves the problem of unsafe passwords with ease. Sign up for a <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">free trial</a> to see these exciting features for yourself.&nbsp;

Storing passwords inappropriately can leave you open to fraud and theft. Avoid these storage methods at all costs. | TeamPassword Blog

Storing passwords inappropriately can leave you open to fraud and theft. Avoid these storage methods at all costs. ...

Top 5 Dangerous Ways to Store Your Passwords

Over the last decade, the gig economy boom has allowed professionals worldwide to switch to freelancing and build a network of international clients.&nbsp;
According to Upwork, 1 in 3 US workers engaged in freelance work during 2020. Some of the most successful freelancers earn hundreds of thousands of dollars per year through platforms like Upwork, Freelancer, and Toptal.
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;
Does your company hire freelancers? How do you <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/should-i-share-data-with-freelancers">share passwords with freelancers</a>? TeamPassword is an affordable password management solution for small businesses, startups, and agencies to share credentials securely with team members and freelancers. <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">Sign up for a 14-day free trial</a> today.
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;
<h2>10 Successful Freelancers</h2>
Here are ten successful freelancers and what they do. These freelancers have earned their place as experts in their given field with excellent track records&mdash;many have worked with the biggest companies in the world!
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
<h3>1. Marcos Rezende - UX designer - Canada</h3>
Marcos Rezende is a UX Designer from Ontario, Canada, with more than 13 years of experience. Marcos has worked in over 30 industry sectors for multinational organizations in the United States, Canada, Germany, and Brazil.&nbsp;
Some of Marcos' notable projects include apps for Ontario's COVID-19 dashboard, Urban Master Planning collaboration platform, and Reaction (kid's e-learning app), to name a few.&nbsp;
Marcos loves sharing his industry expertise with aspiring UX designers and regularly writes for the popular UX publication Career Foundry. Total recognizes Marcos as part of its "Top 3%" of global freelancer talent&mdash;a title given to elite freelancers in their given field.
We don't have access to Marcos' rates, but the best UX designers on Upwork earn upwards of $100 per hour. As a Toptal Top 3% freelancer, Marcos likely charges $200-$300 per hour.
<a href="https://www.marcosrezende.com/">Marcos Rezende's website</a> was nominated for the prestigious <a href="https://www.awwwards.com/sites/ux-portfolio-marcos-rezende">awwwards.</a> in 2021.
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
<h3>2. Kathy Edens - Marketing Consultant / Freelance Copywriter - United States</h3>
<a href="https://www.upwork.com/freelancers/~016177d19f0624c1a7?viewMode=1">Kathy Edens is a Top Rated Upwork Freelancer</a> with over $300k platform earnings! Kathy has been self-employed as a marketing consultant and freelance copywriter for almost ten years from her home in Ohio, United States.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in Professional Writing and Psychology from Oregon State University, which she says "...helps me understand how to reach your target audience with words."&nbsp;
Kathy has ghost-written several non-fiction books on various topics, including social entrepreneurship, healthcare, real estate investing, and the cannabis industry, to name a few.
Kathy also writes web content, sales pages, email marketing content, case studies, white papers, brochures, press releases, and more. Kathy's rates start at $86 per hour for her writing and marketing services.
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;
<h3>3. Koen van Oeveren - UX designer - Netherlands</h3>
Koen van Oeveren is a freelance UI &amp; UX designer from North Brabant, Netherlands, with almost ten years of experience. Koen works with several design agencies in the Netherlands, designing apps, websites, and eCommerce experiences for many international brands.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
Koen holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Communication and Multimedia Design from Avans University in the Netherlands. Koen's <a href="https://www.koenvo.com/index.html">portfolio website Koenvo</a> was nominated for a <a href="https://www.awwwards.com/sites/koenvo-ui-ux-portfolio">2021 awwwards. Award</a>.
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;
<h3>4. Pascal Strasche - Product / UX designer - Germany</h3>
Pascal Strasche is a product and UX designer with more than ten years of design experience from Germany. He holds a Master of Arts in Interaction Design and a Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design, both from HAWK University of Applied Sciences and Arts.
For almost a year over 2020/2021, Pascal worked as the sole product designer to design Con Cubo's SaaS tool that helps complex organizations visualize and manage teams. He's also worked with German steel giant XOM Materials to find product solutions to digitalize&nbsp;Germany's steel industry.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
In 2019, Pascal founded Product Design Resources, a growing archive of 800+ design resources, weekly updated for the design community.
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
<h3>5. Paul Hunkin - Developer - New Zealand</h3>
Paul Hunkin is a freelance software consultant and developer from Tauranga, New Zealand, but currently living in Portugal.&nbsp;
Paul has over ten years of experience as a software developer with an impressive work history, including Google, NASA, InfoSys, and the Chinese aerospace industry leader COMAC.
He's worked with several early-stage startups designing everything from high-performance big-data systems to complex web applications to 3D rendering engines. He's also built a lot of the foundational code for independent games on Android.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;
Paul is a Top Rated Upwork Freelancer with over $400k in platform earnings. His rates start at $120 per hour for software development. <a href="https://paulh.consulting/">Check out Paul's website</a> for more about his impressive portfolio and work history.
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
<h3>6. Jana Galat - Writer / Brand Strategist - Canada</h3>
Jana Galat is a freelance copywriter and brand strategist from Ontario, Canada. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Management and Organizational Studies from King's University College and an Honors in Business Administration from Western University.
Jana has extensive experience writing landing pages, email campaigns, social media ads, and print materials and says, "I am obsessed with creating copy that sells..."
After several years of professional work experience, Jana went freelance in 2019 and has quickly built a reputation as a <a href="https://www.upwork.com/freelancers/~01bfa17a48301876dd">Top Rated Upwork Freelancer</a> with over $70k in platform earnings. Jana's rates start at $100 per hour for copywriting and brand consulting.
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
<h3>7. Kate H. - Logo Designer / Branding Expert - United States</h3>
Kate is a freelance professional logo designer and branding expert from Maryland, United States. Kate&nbsp;ran her own green wedding brand which she sold to mywedding.com in 2014, allowing her to focus on helping small&nbsp;businesses figure out what they want (and who they are) and translate that into design.
She holds a Master's degree in Environmental Management from Yale School of The Environmental, and a J.D. in environmental law from Pace Law School.&nbsp;
Kate's skillset includes redesigning and updating material to make it easier to understand, building a consistent brand from a simple starting point like a logo, and creating unique logos that guarantee results.
Kate is a Top Rated Upwork Freelancer, and her rates start at $225 per hour. You can find out more about Kate on her <a href="https://www.upwork.com/freelancers/~013ce73876c1c18126" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">Upwork profile</a>.
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
<h3>8. Xhensila Zemblaku - Art Director - Canada</h3>
Xhensila Zemblaku is a freelance art director, UX/UI designer, and illustrator from Markham, Canada. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Ryerson University with almost ten years of experience.
Xhensila has been a freelancer for most of her professional career and earned over <a href="https://www.upwork.com/freelancers/~01a08d1fcc6ea8fbcb">$400k on Upwork</a>, completed over 150 jobs, and 4,663 hours!&nbsp;
Xhensila's work includes typography, print design, UX/UI design, web, and mobile design. She's a Top Rated Upwork Freelancer currently charging $200 per hour for various creative gigs.
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
<h3>9. Tanya Litvinova - UX/UI Designer - United States</h3>
Tanya Litvinova is a freelance UX/UI designer from New York City, United States. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Advertising Design / Communication Design from the Fashion Institute of Technology.
Tanya specializes in product, mobile, and web design as well as user experience flow, research, and validation.
"I have a passion to make the complex simple, shape behavior, design, plan, and strategize. Aiming for the best user experience, all the while balancing the needs of business and technology to create engaging, habit-forming digital products."
Tanya has worked with Fortune 100 &amp; Fortune 500 companies and successfully delivered business-transforming data-driven analytics, responsive BI dashboards, enterprise web apps, and management systems. Some of Tanya's notable clients include KOCH Industries, BlackRock Financial, BCG Group, and FireEye, to name a few.
<a href="https://www.upwork.com/freelancers/~0165035041b26e96df">Tanya is a Top Rated Upwork Freelancer</a> with more than $200k platform earnings. Her current rate starts at $162.50 per hour.
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
<h3>10. Guangming Lang - Data Scientist - United States</h3>
Guangming Lang is a freelance data scientist from Michigan, United States. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from New College of Florida and a Master of Science in Biostatistics from the University of Michigan. Guangming has also completed several Coursera courses in data science and machine learning.
Guangming has been a freelancer since 2013 and has worked across several industries, including fintech, trading, medicine, biotech, advertising, and HR.&nbsp;
Guangming is a Top Rated Upwork Freelancer with over $400k in platform earnings. He's completed 216 jobs on Upwork totaling 3,805 hours! Guangming's current rates start at $200 per hour.
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;
<h2>Secure Freelancer Workflows With TeamPassword</h2>
No matter how talented or reputable the freelancers and contractors you hire, your company must use secure workflows to protect your digital assets.
Freelancers often need access to shared accounts and tools. Using a <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">password manager</a> is the first step to securing these accounts and platforms. You can also use a password manager to share credentials with employees, clients, and other stakeholders to ensure you never expose raw passwords via email, spreadsheets, chat apps, and other non-secure methods.
<a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">TeamPassword</a> lets you create groups to share access with only those who need it. When they're done, revoke access with a single click. No need to change passwords every time someone leaves the team.
If you do need to change a password, TeamPassword's built-in <a href="https://teampassword.com/password-generator">password generator</a> lets you create secure passwords between 12-32 characters using numbers, letters (uppercase/lowercase), and symbols.
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;
Ready to onboard clients and freelancers securely with TeamPassword's robust <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">password management solution</a>? <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">Sign up for a free trial</a> to secure your company's digital assets today!

Here are ten successful freelancers and what they do. These freelancers have earned their place as experts in their given field.

Here are ten successful freelancers and what they do. These freelancers have earned their place as experts in ...

10 extremely successful freelancers and what they do

Here are ten successful freelancers and what they do. These freelancers have earned their place as experts in their given field with excellent track records—many have worked with the biggest companies in the world!

So you think hackers have stolen your password? You're not the only one. 
Perhaps you've noticed strange activity on your email account or frequent pop-ups on your computer. Perhaps it's just a hunch. 
But how can you know&nbsp;for sure?
There are many warning signs that you've been the victim of a data hack:
<ul>
<li>Your device is slower than normal.</li>
<li>You use more data than normal.</li>
<li>Videos take longer to load.</li>
<li>You received an email notification about a password change you didn't make.</li>
<li>An online account no longer accepts your password.</li>
</ul>
However, hackers can steal your passwords and identity&nbsp;without you ever knowing. That's why it's so difficult to tell if you're the victim of a hack.
This guide will help you work out if hackers have stolen your information and tell you how to stop it from happening again.&nbsp;
Prevent hackers from stealing your data by incorporating TeamPassword into your tech stack. This password manager for teams comes with a range of security features like two-step verification and password encryption.&nbsp;<a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sign up for a free trial</a>&nbsp;today.&nbsp;

<h2>Have I Been Hacked? How Do I Know?</h2>
There are various ways to tell whether hackers have access to your information:
<ul>
<li>Look for unusual activity on your account. This activity includes logins to your social media accounts from unfamiliar locations or mass messages sent from your email account.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Look for security emails from account providers that warn about failed login attempts or password changes you didn't make.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
<li>Look for changes in performance on the devices, apps, and websites you use. For example, see if videos take longer to buffer than normal.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Look at your browser's password manager (if you use one) and check that nobody has changed these credentials.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
All the above can be a guessing game. You might have a feeling that you're the victim of a hack but don't know for sure. 
Checking a stolen password list like "Have I Been Pwned" clears up some of the confusion. This tool searches across multiple data breaches &mdash; when hackers take stolen passwords and usernames and post them online &mdash; to see if cybercriminals have compromised your personal information. 
Here's how to use this stolen password list:
<ol>
<li>Enter your email address on the main page.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Click "pwned."</li>
<li>The website will search thousands of databases to see if hackers have stolen your personal information.</li>
<li>If you receive the "Oh no &ndash; Pwned!" message, it means hackers have posted sensitive information associated with your email address (passwords, addresses, phone numbers, etc.) somewhere online.</li>
<li>If you receive the "Good news &ndash; no pwnage found!" message, it means the website could not find your information on the internet.&nbsp;</li>
</ol>
Note: Just because the website can't find your data on the internet, it doesn't mean hackers haven't compromised your personal information.
Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/password-manager-for-small-businesses" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Password Manager for Small Businesses</a>

<h2>Which Passwords Did Hackers Steal?</h2>
Establish which passwords hackers stole in a data breach so you can take quick action. Websites like "Have I Been Pwned"&nbsp;won't&nbsp;tell you which passwords are at risk. You'll only learn whether hackers have compromised the data associated with a particular email address. 
Note: Sometimes, hackers might have access to your email address and other personal information but not your password. It's hard to know for sure.&nbsp;
If hackers have access to your data, it's a good idea to change&nbsp;all passwords&nbsp;associated with the compromised email address. If you use your email address for several online accounts, change the passwords for these services. Updating these passwords might take you a while, and remembering the new passwords leads to additional problems. (Keep reading to find a solution.)
Here are some other tips:
<ul>
<li>When choosing new passwords, use combinations of lowercase letters, uppercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Passwords that use all these elements are stronger than those that don't.</li>
<li>Don't write your passwords down because this increases the risk of identity theft.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
<li>Don't tell anyone your new passwords.</li>
</ul>
Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/the-most-secure-way-to-share-passwords" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Most Secure Way to Share Passwords</a>.

<h2>How Common Is a Data Hack?</h2>
More common than you think. Hackers were responsible for more than 4,000 attacks every day in 2020, and the total number of compromised records exceeded 37 billion. That's a 141% increase from 2019. Much of this compromised data appears on the dark web, where cybercriminals use it to facilitate illegal activities such as identity theft and money laundering.&nbsp;
If you have been the subject of a data hack, you are not alone. However, it's important to act quickly to prevent hackers from accessing your personal or financial accounts.&nbsp;
There are other types of cybercrime to consider. Cybercriminals use techniques like phishing, where they impersonate people online and trick victims into handing over their personal information. Phishing now accounts for more than 80% of all cybersecurity incidents, and criminals steal $17,700 every minute in these attacks.&nbsp;

<h2>What Kind of Information Do Hackers Steal?</h2>
Hackers steal all kinds of personal and financial information:
<ul>
<li>Names</li>
<li>Email addresses</li>
<li>Usernames</li>
<li>Passwords</li>
<li>Addresses</li>
<li>Phone numbers</li>
<li>Bank account details</li>
<li>Credit card numbers</li>
<li>Social Security numbers</li>
<li>Insurance information&nbsp;</li>
<li>IRS information</li>
<li>Photos</li>
<li>Private message</li>
<li>SMS messages</li>
</ul>
Nothing is off-limits for hackers, and these criminals go to great lengths to steal your data. Once they have access to the information above, hackers can transfer money from your bank accounts, use your identity to apply for financing, and damage your credit file.&nbsp;
Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/the-scariest-data-breaches-of-all-time" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Scariest Data Breaches of All Time</a>.
TeamPassword is the best password manager for teams. Features include two-step verification, password encryption, easy password sharing, and more.&nbsp;<a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Get a free trial now</a>&nbsp;and learn how TeamPassword keeps you safe online.&nbsp;

<h2>Have I Been Hacked? How to Stay Safe.</h2>
There are several ways to improve online security and prevent hackers from accessing your personal information:
<ul>
<li>Use the latest security software and apps when using devices and browsing the internet.</li>
<li>Carry out regular risk assessments where you evaluate your security software.</li>
<li>Back up personal data to a reputable cloud service instead of keeping it on your device.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Don't share personal information with other people.</li>
<li>Create a security management strategy for your organization and share it with all team members.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
Using a password manager is another way to stay safe online. The best ones encrypt your online passwords so hackers can't access these credentials, and you can keep passwords in a secure cloud-based vault and not have to remember them. There are various password managers online, including free ones available through most internet browsers, but not all tools are the same.&nbsp;
If you work alongside a team, consider TeamPassword. It's the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.teampassword.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">password manager for teams</a>&nbsp;that require world-class security and performance. This all-in-one password solution helps teams like yours store, manage, and share passwords in the safest way possible.&nbsp;

<h2>How Can TeamPassword Help?</h2>
TeamPassword prevents hackers from stealing your organization's most sensitive data with an incredible range of password management features. Enterprises of all sizes use TeamPassword to manage passwords, including tech startups, digital marketing agencies, creative agencies, and software and development teams.
Here are some&nbsp;<a href="https://teampassword.com/features" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TeamPassword features</a>&nbsp;that prevent situations involving a stolen password:
<ul>
<li>Random password generation that creates unique passwords for websites.</li>
<li>Two-step password verification.</li>
<li>Activity and logging tools so you can discover who has access to password management features.</li>
<li>Secure encryption technology.</li>
<li>Email notifications about password management actions.</li>
<li>Passwords stored securely in one place. </li>
</ul>
<h2>Final Word</h2>
If you're looking for the answer to the question, "Have I been hacked?" it's difficult to know for sure. Preventing hackers from compromising your data in the first place provides a better resolution. TeamPassword lets you store and manage passwords in a secure environment and minimize the effects of a stolen password so you can avoid hackers stealing your data and continue to collaborate on team projects.&nbsp;
With features like password encryption, two-step authentication, and random password generation, TeamPassword is the best password management solution for teams that want to improve online security.&nbsp;<a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sign up for a free trial</a>&nbsp;now.

Have I been hacked? Here's how to check if you have and learn how to stop hackers from stealing your data. | TeamPassword Blog

Have I been hacked? Here's how to check if you have and learn how to stop hackers from ...

TeamPassword Blog

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