Your password is supposed to be a secure way to protect your personal information in your online accounts. However, hackers are frequently able to attack sites, harvest passwords and sell them on the black market. As a result, several tech companies have announced automatic password resets to force users to choose a new password and prevent unauthorized access to their accounts. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Netflix and Tumblr are among the tech companies who are requiring more credentials and updated passwords from their users.
Concerns About Hacking
Although many of the security breaches for these online platforms happened several years ago, continued successful hacker attempts on other tech companies has these major players on edge. Because many users keep the same password on multiple sites, several platforms could be simultaneously hacked at once.
Users Avoid Resetting Passwords
Although resetting their own passwords is a hassle that many users avoid, it is essential to online security and your continued privacy for communication, banking and other online services. When users are lax about password security, tech companies must force change to protect vulnerable user information from hackers.
Tips to Protect Your Online Information
To protect your information, you should never use the same password for different online websites or applications. Your passwords should also be strong and uncommon, using symbols, letters and numbers whenever possible; a two-part authentication process should be used if it is available. A password manager helps you to remember all of your unique passwords without compromising your online security. It’s also important to be wary of phishing emails and avoid opening attachments from unknown users.
An Ongoing Battle Against Hackers
Although it is impossible to avoid all attacks from online hackers, it is important to take steps that will help to prevent you from becoming the victim of an attack. In the meantime, watch for major tech companies to take the step of resetting user passwords to help their users in the ongoing battle against hackers.
