Passwords are the keys that unlock access to everything we do online, so you want to be smart about keeping them safe and private.īut the reality is that we often need to share passwords with spouses, family, friends, coworkers, business partners, caretakers, and others. And as a general rule, that’s good advice to follow.

It’s one less account to support and maintain.You’ve probably heard that you should never share passwords. In this instance, you probably don’t need to change the password but make sure you didn’t provide other information worth protecting before making that final decision.įinally, if you no longer require the account, and the option is available, delete the account. There are some accounts that are required only for benefit of the website owner, for instance, to download a whitepaper you are required to set up an account. This may be a painful and tedious process but think of the ramifications and impact if someone else can logon to or take ownership of these accounts. Identify where else you may have used this password and change the password at all the other sites. If it’s available, use it to protect yourself, family and friends. Many social media accounts have begun to provide this feature. If available, enable two-factor authentication. This is particularly important for high-value accounts such as banking or financial accounts and email to name a few. Have them send you alerts or prompt for additional information if you log into a site from a new computer or location.

If the site has enhanced security, enable it. What Should You Do To Manage Your Accounts? Additionally, someone is actively selling this information on the “dark web” for between $2,200 (5 bit coins) 3 & $2,800 (6 bit coins) 4. Banking on the fact that between 31% 1 and 55% 2 of the people use the same password at multiple sites, cyber criminals can use this information to login with the same credentials at other popular sites. The malevolent person or group behind the breach(es) has your username, possibly email address and password and probably additional personal information. But did you think through the consequences? If you had accounts at any of these sites, you may have been advised to change your password, and as a good cyber citizen, you probably logged on and made the obligatory password change. LinkedIn was breached in 2012, Tumblr in 2013 and most recently MySpace in June 2016. Two high-profile breaches have resurfaced in the media again along with a newly announced breach.

Password sharing sites