Poor password practices have been a huge issue since 81% of company data breaches occur because of bad passwords. 71% of Americans are tired of memorizing passwords, two-step verification, and captcha codes. Because of those very reasons, password logins are vulnerable to cybercriminals. Therefore, it is easy to feel unsafe since there are a lot of ways that information can be used by hackers. In fact, users should consider humanID, which is a Single Sign-On (SSO) authentication service that only allows one set of login credentials instead of many. Without a doubt, there are many types of password hackings a cybercriminal could consider to steal information.

Credential Stuffing

The first way password logins are vulnerable to cybercriminals is through credential stuffing. It is a type of cyberattack in which attackers use stolen usernames and passwords from an organization to breach into a system. Since 65% of people reuse the same password for multiple accounts, credential stuffing attacks are one of the most common causes of data breaches. Having one password for multiple accounts is extremely risky and prone to a security breach. 

Password Spraying

The second way password logins are vulnerable to cybercriminals is because of the risk of password spraying. Password spraying is when an attacker acquires common weak passwords to attempt logins across all usernames. The process is repeated to gain account and system access. In that case, it is possible for an attacker to access hundreds of accounts in just one attack. Cybercriminals can gain access to business or personal accounts and personal information. For example, cybercriminals can gain access to sensitive company data and the personal information of employees.

Brute Force

The third way password logins are vulnerable to cybercriminals is through brute force. It is a trial-and-error method to crack passwords, login credentials, and encryption keys. For example, hackers try many usernames and passwords using a computer to test a lot of combinations until they are successful in finding the correct login information. However, this cracking method is different from others because it does not employ an intellectual strategy, instead hackers try multiple combinations of characters until they find the correct one.

How To Be Safer

To help hacking become a little harder for cybercriminals, users should consider utilizing a Single-Sign-On (SSO) authentication tool. It allows users to be identified once without having to put in their credentials every time they log in. By using SSO, users do not need to remember their passwords for multiple accounts while enhancing security. For example, if a hacker gets access from a website that is poorly secured, they would easily be able to get access to other corporate systems.

With keeping these password hackings in mind, I believe users can strengthen their own security by using humanID. How does humanID work and how can it help improve security? It can be accomplished via phone-centric authentication. This means that the user has to verify themselves by phone number or mobile device. Further, It is a passwordless authentication system to securely log into many applications and accounts with only one set of credentials. Therefore, users do not have to worry about keeping track of complicated passwords because humanID guarantees a more secure login experience.