SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Computer Password Mistakes These common slip-ups can target you as easy prey for identity thieves. ::
10 Most Dangerous BY TODD HELLER I
f your computer password is “password,” you are probably unaware of the predicament you could be placing yourself
in. But you’re not alone — unfortunately, it’s the most popular password there is. Hackers and identity thieves
are well aware of this fact — and they often use it to turn lives upside down. “Identity thieves, like all thieves, prefer easy targets,” software expert Morgan Slain explains. “Just a little bit more eff ort in choosing better passwords will go a long way toward making you safer online.”
Slain’s company, SplashData,
produces applications and security software for PCs and smartphones. “It just takes a few extra moments
SLAIN
to make a password better,” he says. Any breach of your computer security can have devastating results. At the very least, your computer speed can slow to a crawl after hackers install spyware that searches for the Holy Grail — your usernames and passwords.
The nightmare scenario is when
the bad guys get their hands on passwords that allow them to steal your identity, access your fi nancial
accounts, take your money, make purchases in your name, and destroy your credit rating. The Federal Trade Commission
estimates that as many as 10 million Americans have their identities stolen each year. These unfortunate folks often must spend hundreds of dollars and dozens of hours cleaning up the mess thieves have made of their good name and credit record. Consumers victimized by
identity theft may lose out on job opportunities, or be denied loans for education, housing, or cars because of negative information on their credit reports. They may even be arrested for crimes they did not commit. Be
62 NEWSMAX MAXLIFE | MARCH 2013
SLAIN/COURTESY OF SPLASHDATA / KEYBOARD, SKULL/ISTOCKPHOTO
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