Don’t make your online data easy to fetch
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There’s nothing warm and fluffy about using your pet’s name as a password.
So says the United Kingdom’s National Cyber Security Centre, which is advising people to use random words for passwords instead of pet names after a recent survey revealed that 15% of U.K. citizens use their pet’s name as a password to protect their online accounts.
The same goes for significant dates, favorite sports teams, family member’s names and even the word “password” — all shown to be common password preferences, according to the NCSC survey that found most passwords to be made of easily guessable, predictable words.
With pet names the number one offense, cybercriminals using trial-and-error techniques can easily gain access, NCSC warned. “We may be a nation of animal lovers, but using your pet’s name as a password could make you an easy target for callous cybercriminals,” NCSC Policy and Communications Director Nicola Hudson told reporters.
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