2. Trying Common Passwords
• Hackers trying to break through a password.
• Hackers know this, and can reference common passwords to try
and gain entry.
Action : Don’t use common
passwords. This includes single
words, popular phrases, and
simple combinations of a particular
character type
3. Social Engineering
• Social networking can be used to try and figure out
what the password might be.
• Hackers know that people who don’t use common
passwords are still likely to use passwords that have
some personal significance
Action : Make your social network
private to people who are not your
friends, and make sure that you
don’t use information about your
personal life to form a password.
4. Sniffing Wi-Fi Packets
• Open wireless networks can be a nasty security issue because they are
– well – open.
• If someone is trying to hack your passwords specifically, they might
see if you frequently visit a place with open Wi-Fi, like a coffee shop.
Or a hacker might just set up an operation in such a location and pick
up as many passwords as possible.
Action : Maybe use HTTPS whenever
possible or not use open WIFI
5. Keylogging
• A keylogger can also be installed as a part of any
piece of malware to hack passwords.
• The information can then be transmitted to a
location where it is compiled and passwords found.
Action : Security software can
help detect keyloggers and
prevent them from being
installed on your system.
6. The Weakest Link
• Using the information found while reviewing
your social networking profiles, a hacker may
be able to identify sites you visit.
Action : Don’t use a single
password for every website
