A dictionary attack entails repeated guesses of a password, drawn from common possibilities such as dictionary entries. A complex password can blunt these attacks by forcing them to cycle through possibilities for years. Additional protection is available by setting your device to erase itself after a certain number of wrong guesses. Make sure you’ve made […]

If you have an iPhone, you probably have a passcode to prevent strangers from accessing it without your permission. Most of these codes are only 4 to 6 digits long. That length might seem good enough, but it’s guessable by specialized GrayKey devices. To stay on the safe side, use a 9- to 12-digit password […]

Strong passwords are among the best defenses against account hacking. Regularly changing them provides additional protection. If you receive a notification about a data breach affecting one of your accounts, that’s a good occasion to update all your passwords and also implement two-factor authentication if possible.

Everything from your Wi-Fi router to a new baby monitor might ship with a default username and password, such as “admin” for both credentials. You should change them right away to prevent exposure to botnets designed to take over devices with easily guessed logins.

A firewall helps protect your computer from hackers who might try to gain access to crash it, delete information, or even steal passwords or other sensitive information. Software firewalls are widely recommended for single computers. The software is prepackaged on some operating systems or can be purchased for individual computers. For multiple networked computers, hardware […]

Staying logged in to a website or app is convenient, but it creates some security risks. Attackers may be able to impersonate your session ID and hijack your account. Log out when you’re finished and use a password manager so it’s easy to log back in.