Whether for work or for personal use, we all use a myriad of different internet accounts every day. While there are more than a few best practices you should look out for when managing your many credentials, there’s one you can start right now to beef up your overall security.
Our tip? Never use the same password twice. Ever. In fact, if you can avoid it, try not to use the same username twice, either. The latter is a little trickier, since you need to come up with something palatable in case friends or coworkers need your username. But here’s why.
Let’s say your favorite streaming service suffers a security breach. Millions of usernames and passwords are compromised, in the hands of bad actors. Those bad actors aren’t going to use those accounts to maliciously binge Netflix on your dime. Instead, they’re going to use your credentials on other popular services, to see if you ever reused them.
Imagine if you use the same username and/or password for your work credentials. Or your banking information. We could go on and on.
Using a unique password and/or a username every time ensures that one security breach isn’t a breach of your entire life. You can afford to reset your Netflix password and move on. It’s a little harder to do that for all of your accounts.
