Vent: My friend's 'strong' password was just their dog's name with 123 at the end

Honestly, I see this all the time. People think adding a few numbers makes a password secure, but it's still super easy to guess if it's based on public info like a pet. I told them to use a passphrase like three random words instead, but they said it's too hard to remember. How do you convince someone to actually change their habits when they think their current way is fine?

3 comments

3 Comments

wade_lewis8d ago

My buddy Mark in college had his Xbox account stolen because his password was his hometown plus the year he was born. They wiped his whole game library and he had to spend like two weeks getting it back from customer support. He uses a password manager now, but only after that mess.

cole_patel418d ago

Honestly, the part about people only learning after they lose money feels too harsh. My aunt used her dog's name for everything and never got hacked, while my friend with a crazy random password still had his email broken into from some company data leak. Tbh, sometimes it's just luck. Getting hacked is awful, but it doesn't always mean the person was being dumb.

elizabeth_ramirez8d ago

My cousin's Instagram got hacked last year because her password was her kid's birthday. The hacker posted weird crypto spam for three days before she got it back. She still uses her cat's name for her bank login though, just added a capital letter now. Some people only learn after they lose money, and even then it's a maybe.