14 DAY TRIAL // Apparently, being stupid doesn't only have severe consequences in real life, but in cyber-space as well. And this isn't just one of my crazy opinions - it's certified by a McAfee study. People are using the same simple passwords for a lot of accounts. Sure, it's easy to remember a single password for all the sites you have an account on, but it's also stupid! Those passwords aren't put there, just so that you may interact with the user interface a little bit more, they're being used for AUTHENTICATION, so that only you can have access to a certain account. The passwords aren't for the sites' benefits, but for your own. They're the ones protecting your identity, so by using simple passwords all over you're actually a threat to your own security. So don't come crying to me, if you don't have strong passwords and get hacked! It's up to you to protect yourself on the web, just like in real life - who else do you think is going to do it for you?
"The sheer number of passwords needed means many people are resorting to using few and obvious passwords. We want to help people understand the consequences of this behavior", said McAfee's Greg Day.
Oh, and it gets even worse with devices or programs that come with default passwords. Some people will never bother to change them. Robert Moore is a famous hacker that attacked a lot of servers and succeeded in getting in - why? Because they were using default passwords!
Furthermore, I read an article on the Register, today, about some woman that changed jobs. While working at the new (rival) firm, she hacked into her old account at the first company. How do you think she did that? Well, she just remembered her password that those guys didn't bother to change!
And these are just a few cases - it's enough that hackers are skilled and attack anything they can, but lending them a helping hand is downright stupid, in my opinion! Cyber-security is important - treat it accordingly!