Power up your passwords

Just how secure are your online accounts? Join us as we reveal the tips and techniques you need to protect your personal data from hackers WRITTEN BY millions of password combinations until the correct one is revealed. Lock down accounts The solution i

Passwords are your main line of defence against online theft. If you rely on just a handful of relatively short, memorable words to lock your accounts you’re playing with fire. Others will have used these passwords, increasing the chances of exposure to hackers. They can then be used as part of a hacker’s brute-force attack, trying login information inside an encrypted vault. All you need to remember is a single master password, which unlocks the vault and gives you access to the sensitive info within. But that’s not all password managers can do – read on to discover how they can strengthen online security in numerous ways, spanning not just your Mac, but your iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch too.

Master passwords >

The one password you have to remember going forward is your master password. The longer this is the better able it will be to resist attempts to break it, but how do you square the circle of making it memorable, but not easily guessable? The solution is to use a four-word passphrase comprising four random (but memorable) words separated with a special character such as – or _. Use a website like useapassphrase.com to generate one, and consider adding another layer by adding a number before each word – for example ‘1wriggly-2posted-3deferral-4starch’.

Check for breaches >

How do you know if one of your online accounts – and the password used to secure it – has been exposed to hackers? Some password managers – including Keychain Access – have built-in tools that highlight weak and reused passwords, while others can flag accounts known to have been involved in data breaches. You can also check to see if you’ve been hacked by using the tools at haveibeenpwned.com to search by email address and password. Change affected accounts immediately using your tool’s password generator.

What about 2FA? >

Two-factor authentication (2FA) provides an additional layer of security to passwords by adding the requirement for a physical device to be present when logging in. This means even if someone obtains your password, they can’t log in without access to the device in question – this can be a physical security key, or more commonly a dedicated 2FA app such as Google Authenticator or our recommended app – Authy (authy.com) – installed on your phone. For more on how 2FA works and what to look out for, see ‘Authenticator apps…’ on p74.