Why Passwords Are Essential, LastPass, Data Security & Cybercrime

Whenever you create an account online, whether it’s for a new social media platform, a personal email account, or to sign up to a website, you’ll almost always be asked to provide an email address and create a strong password.

Password security is an essential part of online society,  and without a secret combination of letters, numbers and special characters, you may be targeted by online criminals.

Cybercrime is a serious concern, for both business owners and the general public. These days it’s so easy to overlook the issue of data security and post pictures, blog posts and social media content without thinking of the consequences online.

These innocent posts can easily give criminals clues or bits of information about your lifestyle, family, location and financial situation. When criminals have some data on a user, they may start trying to hack your email account. A strong password can be the one solid defence that you have against fraud, scams, malware and other online crime.

Although it can be increasingly difficult to keep track of all the passwords you’ve set up. Yes, each password you use should be unique, but this doesn’t make it easy to remember them all!

A software solution such as LastPass specializes in helping people to remember all their unique, strong passwords and will safely store them for you, ready for when you need them online. In this article, we’re going to explain why passwords are essential at fighting cybercrime on the frontline, and how you can trust LastPass to help you store and remember your secret codes.

Cybercrime & The Digital World

Global cybercrime is estimated to cost up to $6 trillion by 2021. With ransomware attacks costing Americans $7.5 billion alone in 2019, and New Orleans city government targeted in 2020 costing them over $7 million, you can clearly see how dangerous online crime can be.

Cybercrime & Weak Passwords

It can feel frustrating and inconvenient to set up a new password every time you create a new account or profile, but it’s one of the best ways to protect yourself online.

Let’s imagine you use the same password for your social media profile and for your email address.

You accidentally open a file attached to an email one day and unknowingly download a virus onto your laptop.

You log into Instagram and the malware software records your password.
A criminal receives the information and logs you out of social media, and proceeds to change your password so you can’t access your account anymore.

Then they head to your email address and use the email address you’ve signed up to Instagram with and your Instagram password. Low and behold, they now have control of your email account too.

An email is found from your online bank in your inbox.

They head over to online banking, but the password doesn’t work. All they then do is simply request a password change, and an email is sent to your email address.

Still logged in, they now gain access to your personal bank account.

It really is that simple!!

To stop this from happening you need to be aware of suspicious emails and never open an email that looks strange or is from someone you don’t know. And always use a unique and strong password online.

LastPass Password Vault

LastPass is an easy to use password vault that will help you to keep track of your unique passwords online. Reliable and secure, trust LastPass to be at your side against cybercrime.

Here’s how to use it:

1: First, create an account by heading to LastPass and install the extension in your browser.

2: After you’ve download LastPass, you’ll see the LastPass button on your browser toolbar. This is where you will be able to log into your password vault on a daily basis.

3: Now it’s time to create a master password.

Using a strong password you will now be able to use this incredible software to log into a wide range of accounts and website online, without the need to remember individual passwords. For your master password, consider using a memorable phrase, such as lyrics to a song, your favourite saying, or describe something in your office or home.

4: Now you can add and manage websites that you use and want LastPass to remember the password for. LastPass will save your unique passwords in its virtual password manager vault.

5: As an extra layer of security, you may want to add an extra layer of security with, LastPass MFA or “Mulitfactor Authentication”.

6: Another great feature of Lastpass is its “Emergency Access” which allows a trusted person access your passwords should you be unable to, after a set period of time and is completely configurable.

This software takes password security extremely seriously and they have implemented AES-256 bit encryption with PBKDF2 SHA-256 and salted hashes to ensure your passwords are safe at all times online.

Their password vault system is where all your passwords will be displayed and stored in either a tiled or list view. You can store your Netflix password or even your credit card information here safely and become more efficient online.

So shop online, manage your business, log into your banking apps or social media accounts confidently and without the frustration of trying to recall the password you set up months, if not years ago.

Discover more about how LastPass works.

How To Create A Strong Password

When it comes to password security, you’ll need to use a mix of upper and lowercase letters, number and special characters to create a strong password. The longer in length a password is, and the more complex the combination of characters, the better. With help from LastPass you can create a complicated, long password that will be extremely difficult to break, but with no need to remember it every time you want to log into an account online.

A password of 4 characters, using numbers, upper and lowercase letters and a symbol can be hacked within seconds. Even if you’re password is 11 characters long, if you’re not using a mix of characters, it can probably be broken within 24 hours.

The best possible way to protect yourself online from cybercrime is to create a password with a minimum length of 14 characters, made up of numbers, upper and lowercase letters and symbols. This type of code will take a criminal a lifetime to break, giving you ultimate peace of mind.

LastPass For Personal & Business Use

LastPass can be used by both general online users and business owners. With a free, premium and family plan, take the frustration out of remembering passwords and store secure and strong passwords in one convenient place. Take a look and compare LastPass plans.

Dark Web Monitoring

Upgrade to their premium package for as little as $3 a month, and gain exclusive access to dark web monitoring, emergency access and one to many sharing. Ideal for business owners and those who want to unlock full control of their own password security.

Dark web monitoring checks your email addresses against a database of breached credentials and will send you an instant security breach alert if your information or passwords have been compromised. You can also enjoy flexible sharing with the premium LastPass plan, and share passwords and notes with multiple people for convenient access to shared accounts. For emergency situations, LastPass will prepare your LastPass account by granting access to another user of your choice, to make sure you’re never locked out in an unexpected situation.

Learn more about LastPass’s premium plan here.

Disclosure:
Some of the links in this post are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase an item or service, I will receive an affiliate commission.”