Mustafa Abdallah, assistant professor of computer and information technology at Purdue University in Indianapolis, recently spoke to 93.1 WIBC and provided expert advice on creating strong passwords and preventing cybersecurity threats.
Abdallah told author Jarett Lewis about the need for vigilance in digital security, stating, "What’s safe today is not safe tomorrow." He explained that even strong passwords can become vulnerable over time as new hacking methods emerge.
"If I have a strong password today, there may be a new attack that can crack it in the future," Abdallah said. "This is why it’s important to routinely follow the security guidelines and update my password to avoid my accounts from being compromised."
To enhance security, Abdallah recommended several key practices. He advised using longer passwords that are still memorable to the user and enabling two-factor authentication whenever possible. He also stressed the importance of unique credentials for different accounts to limit the damage from a single breach. "The best practice is to have different passwords but each password is strong and hard to guess," Abdallah recommended.
He also cautioned users not to overlook forgotten accounts or old devices, as they can be easy targets for cyber threats. "Even if you have old devices or some forgotten accounts, you need to make sure that these cyber threats won’t affect or compromise your security," he said.
For managing numerous passwords, Abdallah suggested using secure services like those built into browsers or other third-party applications, which he sees as "generally safe." However, he warned against storing them in unsecured locations like notes apps or text files, as those are often the first places hackers look.
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