Using your pet's name as your password could get you hacked
You may love them, but your pet's name makes you a bit less safe
You love your pet and so when you're sitting trying to think of a password they could be an inspiration, but cybersecurity experts are warning us that using pet names as a password could make you an easy target for hackers.
15% of British people use the name of their pet as passwords according to new research, that means almost 10 million people in the UK use their pets for password inspiration,
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has warned that hackers could find it easier to gain access to accounts by simply guessing typical pet names.
What other words should you avoid for your password?
In addition to pet names, the survey found that people commonly use important dates, favourite sport teams and family members as passwords, all which should also be avoided according to the NCSC.
Instead, they advise using three random words to help keep online accounts safe.
NCSC director for policy and communications Nicola Hudson said: “We may be a nation of animal lovers, but using your pet’s name as a password could make you an easy target for callous cybercriminals.
“I would urge everybody to visit cyberaware.gov.uk and follow our guidance on setting secure passwords which recommends using passwords made up of three random words."
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