Missing millions and poor passwords

Picture the scene. Ring, ring!

“Hello, IT here, how can I help?”

“Well, here’s the thing: there’s an account with millions of pounds in it and the only person with access just died.”

Hmm, it sounds far-fetched…but it’s claimed Gerald Cotten, owner of Quadriga CX, Canada’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, has passed away suddenly at the age of 30 – and taken with him the only password for a digital account holding £145 million of customers’ money.

An affidavit signed by his wife says the firm hasn’t been able to access the digital wallet containing Bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies for 115,000 account holders.

The company has apparently hired an IT specialist in unlocking digital wallets, all to no avail.

Conspiracy theories surround this particular case – and it’s a story that brings new surprises every day – but it underlines just how important cyber security is.

And as Quadriga CX customers now know so well, passwords are the all-important front door.

It’s incredible then so many of us use passwords that are all too easily guessed by even the most casual hacker, at home and at work.

So, in the spirit of promoting cyber security, here’s our list of the five worst types of password commonly used in workplaces:

123456                                                                                                                     

Oh, dear. Brian really isn’t being serious about his desktop security. A logical series of numbers is easy to remember but it also says: “No, be my guest and take whatever you want!”

Noodle

Ah, cuddly wee Noodle the poodle. How could anyone guess Sadie’s pet’s name? Unless of course they’d taken a cursory glance at her Facebook profile or noticed Noodle’s photograph, complete with nametag, on her desk. 

12345678           

Oh, not Brian again! He was happy using his 123456 but now IT have upped security and his computer is demanding he use at least eight characters. What to do? Go figure, Brian!

password                                                                                                                 

In Trevor’s defence he was only doing what the computer told him to do. Next time it might be best if Trevor seeks advice first from his IT department. They’re not just there to fix things.

999999                                                                                                                   

Why mess about when you can key one number several times? Two reasons: it creates one of those rare passwords that’s both easy to crack and yet hard to remember. How many 9s was it again? Wait, how many 9s have I actually hit?

If you want to find a job that’s safe and secure, access the latest vacancies on jobs24.com .

Posted on February 12, 2019