Why pets make great friends… but terrible passwords: Common names for cats and dogs are easy target for hackers, experts warn
- Experts have warned against setting your pet’s name as your password
- These types of passwords make it easier for hackers to access accounts
- A password should be made up of three random words that are difficult to guess
It’s something many animal lovers are guilty of – setting their pet’s name as their password. But experts have warned that this is a gift to hackers.
These types of computer passwords make it easier for them to access accounts by simply guessing common pet names, said the National Cyber Security Centre.
It has now urged pet owners to create hard-to-crack passwords after it found 15 per cent of Britons use their animal’s name.
It’s something many animal lovers are guilty of – setting their pet’s name as their password. But experts have warned that this is a gift to hackers (Stock image)
The Government organisation recommended that a password should be made up of three random words to make it difficult to guess.
Other weak passwords commonly used by Britons were a significant date or a favourite sports team, according to research by the NCSC.
It also found that 6 per cent used the word ‘password’ in their login.
‘We may be a nation of animal lovers but using your pet’s name as a password could make you an easy target for cyber criminals,’ said the centre’s director of policy and communications Nicola Hudson.