‘I’m a security expert and one little known password trick is a nightmare for hackers’
The simple tip makes logins earlier to remember and much harder for online criminals to guess.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words - and in today’s society that could extend to emojis too.
It's common to use emojis to react to messages, add a touch of personality to WhatsApp sign-offs or liven up social media posts.
Now a security expert has revealed that they could also be your secret weapon to keeping your online security ironclad.
Ben Van Pelt, founder of TorGuard, a cybersecurity company, says that computers treat emojis like any other character in a password, alongside numbers and punctuation.
He said: “Not only are emojis easier to remember than some random letters and numbers, but they're also a less common trick for hackers to try.
“If someone's trying to break into your account by brute force and your password has only letters, numbers and punctuation, there are only a handful of options for each character they have to guess.
"With well over 3,600 standardised emojis out there, throwing one into your password means hackers have a significantly trickier time guessing it.
“Each symbol they try now has thousands more possibilities to consider.”
He added: “A password with five different emojis is like having a nine-character strong password, and with seven emojis, it's as good as 13 regular characters.”
It's worth remembering, however, that not all apps allow emojis in passwords and it's a good idea to check first if the app or website accepts emojis in passwords.
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It's also worth noting that a whole emoji keyboard in your password might slow you down when logging in quickly.
Using the same emojis repeatedly across different accounts could make it easier to guess for someone who knows your habits.
The expert added: “For a good, strong password, consider adding an emoji or two.
“It’ll certainly make it a right pain for anyone trying to guess it.”
As cyber criminals lurk in the shadows looking to pounce on vulnerable victims a security company has revealed the most popular PIN numbers.
And if yours matches one of the top ten a security expert has given a stern warning to change it to avoid being scammed.
Personal identification numbers (PINs) serve as gatekeepers to our online financial accounts, devices and other sensitive information. The concept of a four-digit PIN may seem simple. But with only 10,000 possible combinations achieving a unique one can be a bit of a challenge.
Now a cyber security company - EarthWeb - has delved into the PINs people most commonly use.
