Did you know that the passwords and usernames utilized over the internet are considered to be the key to your virtual identity and could mean a matter of you going broke at the hand of a hacker?

Hackers are busier than ever targeting any computer user over the internet that makes themselves vulnerable. Over the course of the past 10 years large portions of people’s lives have been shaped by the internet and everything that it has to offer, good and bad. Unfortunately, for a steadily rising number of internet users, they, have left themselves vulnerable to hackers by simply choosing to utilize a password that is too obvious or use the same one for multiple online accounts.

Do you ever feel that you have too many things to remember in life? You have a bank account, or several bank accounts, a smart phone lock code, house alarm code, social networks to log into, ATM pin numbers and a whole slew of other numbers to juggle. The last thing you probably want to do, adding additional complexity to your life, is remember multiple passwords for several online accounts. In reality, that is the wrong attitude to have because it could lead to you falling prey to an internet hacker.

Cybercrooks are always on the lookout for individuals who use weak passwords or use the same passwords for access to online accounts especially when those accounts could grant a hacker access to a bank account or credit card account. It is just as simple as a few guesses for clever hackers to obtain a password to an email account which may harbor pertinent data for access to a banking account. Basically, if you use a password that is easy to guess or the same weak password for all of your online accounts, it is only a matter of time before you end up getting a bank account statement reading zero.

Security Risks are very real and more prevalent than ever!

In a study conducted by the Ponemon Institute last month, it reveals that in the last year, 90 percent of businesses suffered at least one data breach. McAfee has confirmed that only 40% of US based companies disclose all security breaches while only 60% report the major ones. Not only has hacking become a force to be reckoned with over the past few years, but cybertheives thriving on individuals who fail to use safe passwords practices has allowed data breaches and theft of money from online banking accounts to happen.

How do you know if your password is strong enough?

Let’s face it, the password ‘123456′ is extremely weak and should never be used for any type online access or account. Some email providers have taken steps to disallow weak passwords prompting their users to be more creative with password creation when setting up a new account.

When forming a new password and ensuring that it cannot be easily guessed, try using a combination of letters, numbers and symbols if possible. It is also a great practice to change your password often every 90 days or less. Microsoft even has a site dedicated to checking your password to ensure that it is ’strong’ enough. View the video below to see how simple it can be to choose a good strong password.

What are your password practices? Will you be changing anything about your password usage over the internet?