Logging into multiple websites such as Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram with the same ID and password and using the same IDs and passwords for banking accounts has proven dangerous and made it easier for cyber criminals to hack into the accounts.
A study by the University of Indiana has found a solution. Researchers say complicated passwords will help curb the fraud.
The cyber crime police, Hyderabad, has expressed a similar opinion that a complex alpha-numeric combination password is harder for hackers to crack.
In the experience of the cyber crime police, the public has a tendency to keep similar passwords for all social media and also banking accounts so as to not forget the password. Even people who change their passwords frequently will again keep the same password for all their accounts.
“There is a certain software available on the internet that can be used to trace all the accounts that have a similar password. If two persons, X and Y, coincidentally use the same password for their accounts, and if the password of X is hacked, it can be used to hack the account of Y, and all other accounts that have a similar password,” said Rachakonda cyber crime ACP S. Harinath.
The hackers do not specifically try to breach a particular system; they run software that identifies vulnerable systems and gives a way for the hacker to intrude. “In many such instances, Nigerian nationals were identified to be the crooks, and only in one case Romanians surfaced during the investigation of a case,” said Mr Harinath.
He described a case registered at the cyber crime police station: "A company that had used the log-in ID and password as 'admin' and 'admin' had a breach. The hackers gained entry into the network administrator's account from a user account and stole the data of the company's clients list and their payment details. The crooks created a spoof ID of the client's company and sent an email informing a change of the bank account to which the money has to be sent. Without verifying the details, the MNC sent Rs 14 lakh into the crooks' account."
Not just changing passwords every fortnight, but also using different passwords for different accounts can prevent one from falling prey to hackers and save one's hard-earned money, said Mr Harinath.
