Read More: What Should You Do After Losing Your Phone?

So, you’re wondering why your locked Android is so vulnerable to hacking attacks? There are two methods that a thief could employ to easily gain access to your phone. These methods are brute force hacking and using forensic equipment to breach security measures. Read on to learn about the two forms of Android hacking and how they work.

Guessing Your Password with Brute Force Hacking

Brute force hacking is a trial and error strategy, where the thief tries to guess your password. This method may seem ineffective, but you’d be surprised how well it works. Often, Android users’ passwords aren’t that complicated. Indeed, researchers found last year that “123456” was still the world’s most popular passcode. Also, your actual fingerprints can give you away. A thief could eventually trace your PIN number or your pattern on a smudged cell phone screen. Finally, there is also hacking software that will guess a series of passcodes until your cell phone’s lock screen opens.

Using Forensic Equipment to Steal Internal Data

Unless your Android’s memory is fully encrypted, a hacker can drain every last drop of cell phone data with forensic equipment. These elite tools are mostly used by official law enforcement, military, and intelligence services like the FBI. But if hackers know where to look online, they can also purchase this technology themselves. Essentially, cell phone forensic equipment is an all-in-one tool, which bypasses your security and gives the criminal complete access to your phone. These devices are also extremely fast. So, if your phone is stolen, don’t wait around to act!

If you’re guilty of using weak passwords, don’t despair. The following will show you how to create ironclad passwords so that your precious data stays safe and secure. But first, find out what not to do when creating passwords.

Read More: How Frequently Should You Change Your Passwords?

The Top 5 Weakest Passwords That You Need to Stop Using

1. Numerical Sequences. In 2016, the top most common passwords were “123456” and “123456789.” Indeed, 17% of online users are using “123456” to lock their accounts. Needless to say, these numerical sequences are likely the first passwords that someone would try when breaking into your accounts.
2. Default Passwords. Many users simply put down “password” as their password, which reached the 8th spot on 2016’s lineup, or other default terms like “guest,” “admin,” or “default.”
3. Keyboard Rows. The password “qwerty” hit third spot on 2016’s list. It’s truly the alphabetic version of “123456.” So, don’t think that someone else wouldn’t guess it in a heartbeat.
4. Dictionary Words. An unaltered word from the dictionary won’t keep your account safe, no matter how long and complicated its spelling may be.
5. Personal Data. Never use your birthday, anniversary, or any other important dates as your password. Just by doing a quick round of research on you, someone could successfully guess it. The same thing goes for entering loved ones’ names (that includes pets), your address, your phone number, or anything else that’s easily found on social media.

How to Create a Strong Password

When you’re coming up with a strong password, there are a few rules you should follow. If you’ve chosen a memorable word like “seahorse,” you should alter that word by making it a difficult combination of capital letters, symbols, and non-sequence numbers. For instance: “$eAh0rsE” or “sEAh0&$e.” These passwords appear nonsensical, but since they’re based upon a real word, you won’t have trouble remembering them. Strong passwords are also long passwords, or even passphrases, so you’ll want to include more than just a variation of “seahorse.”

As a final note: never, ever reuse a password. All of your accounts should be protected with different passwords, just in case someone manages to break into one of them. You don’t want to hand them the keys to the entire castle!

1. You create short passwords.

Although a lot of websites don’t allow passwords under a certain length now, many sites and programs don’t care how long your passwords are. If you use short passwords such as “buddy” or “Star1” then you’re setting yourself up to be hacked.

Read More: 5 Tricks for Creating Stronger Passwords

2. You create passwords that are too simple.

If your password follows a certain pattern on your keyboard, such as “1qaz2wsx” or the infamous “QWERTY,” then it’s far too simple. Other passwords that are too simple include common phrases or sayings.

3. You reuse the same password for different accounts.

You should never reuse the same password — or a variation of the same password but with a change in numbers — across any of your accounts. This weakens your accounts and makes it much easier for a hacker to access them.

4. Your passwords are predictable.

Hackers are aware of the most common password-making trends. Many people start their passwords off with a capital letter, followed by 3-5 lowercase letters, 2-4 numbers, and then a symbol. Or, others will replace certain letters with a similar-looking number, such as in the following example: “cr33p.”

5. You change your passwords too frequently — or not frequently enough.

There are many different opinions when it comes to how frequently you should change your passwords. Some experts say you shouldn’t change your passwords unless there’s a data breach, and others say you should change them every 6 months to a year. Regardless, you should definitely change your passwords if you haven’t done so in several years.

6. You share your passwords.

Sharing your passwords to various online accounts is never a good idea. You never know how someone else will treat your personal information, or even how he or she treats the security of his/her own information or device.

7. You record your passwords on paper or your device.

Writing all of your passwords on a piece of paper or a sticky note, or else keeping them in a document on your computer or phone is a surefire way to put all of your personal information at risk to a hacker or thief — you’ve just given them easy access to all of your accounts.

In the digital age, there’s a serious debate about privacy rights. Nothing on the Internet is ever really private or secure. If you value your privacy, then locking your more sensitive apps with a password is one way to make your data more private. It can also make your phone’s data more secure, in the event that your phone is stolen or lost. If your apps are locked with a password, then it will be significantly harder for a thief to access your private information.

How to Use DFNDR’s App Lock Feature

In order to lock your apps with a password, click the button above. Alternatively, you can open the DFNDR app and then click “Tools,” followed by the “App Lock” feature, which is under the privacy options. A list of apps will appear that you can lock with a password. You’ll then select which apps you want to lock by sliding the bar (next to the app’s icon) to the right. If you want to remove an app from this list, simply slide the bar to the left to unlock the app.

You’ll then create a password or pattern to be your App Lock’s access code. This will be the password that you’ll enter when you want to access a locked app. If you want to change your password, you’ll go to the App Lock feature’s settings, and click “Settings” (the gear icon in the upper right corner). You’ll select “change your password.” Then you’ll enter and confirm your new password and tap “finish.” You can also hide your password (so that no one can see what you draw) by selecting “hide pattern” in App Lock’s settings.

You can also set a lock time for apps. In order to do this, you’ll go to your App Lock’s settings, and then click “when to block apps.” You can then select from a list of options, such as “always,” or “1 min after screen is locked.” This means that your apps will be automatically locked according to your time preferences.

Learn to Identify Suspicious Emails

There are a few clues you can look for to see if an email is legitimately from the company. First of all, Google the email address that sent you the email. This will often tell you whether the email is legitimate or malicious. Moreover, don’t let the imagery on the emails fool you. Phishers frequently attempt to copy and paste the emblem of the company to try and further legitimize their email.

Read More: Why Your Fingerprint Login May Not Be Safe

Never send your password over email

Your bank, and most other firms, will NEVER ask for your password via email. This is a common trick that many people fall for, resulting in a forfeiture of their private information. If a firm is asking for sensitive information over email, it is almost guaranteed that you are being phished. Avoid these at all costs.

Never go to websites linked to in emails

A lot of phishers embed faulty links in their emails to websites that masquerade themselves as the real firm. For instance, if you bank with Wells Fargo, a phisher could send you a link to a website that looks like a carbon copy to the Wells Fargo website. Don’t let the similarities fool you. If you wish to login to your bank account, access the website through an app or by typing the URL. These faulty links will oftentimes lead to trouble.

Stay up to date on internet safety

News outlets will often broadcast stories about mass phishing schemes. This usually results in their demise — once the public is aware of the scheme, fewer people fall for it. By staying up to date on internet safety news, you can be cognizant of widespread malicious attempts to phish.

Doubt it? Delete it.

If you have the slightest inkling that an email is malicious, you’re probably right.

Download PSafe Total and PSafe Total Windows so that if a virus does attempt to enter your device through a phishing scam, it will be detected right away.

The hack involves entering a long string of text while the camera is open on the phone. This long screen of text overloads the phone and causes the system to crash, which results in the unlocking of the phone’s lockscreen. The hack is usually executed by users entering long strings of random texts into their phone. They proceed to copy and paste the string into the unlock screen. This repetitive copying causes the phone to quickly overload and crash.

Read More: Everything You Need to Know About Cybersecurity Insurance

This security breach enables hackers to get full access to the device. As a result, they can access your private files and install malware into your device. This affects users who have the operating system Lollipop 5.0 and above.

As a result, it might be a good idea to utilize other security measures for your unlock screen. For example, you could use the finger swipe, retinal scanners, or the fingerprint detectors to unlock your phone. You can also add second lock screens to important apps with PSafe Total’s Applock feature.

Is My Android Doomed?

With PSafe Total, your Android device is safe and sound. PSafe Total contains a number of features that help optimize the security of your phone. For instance, Advanced Protection is a function within PSafe Total that allows PSafe to protect your device from third-party uninstalls in case of loss or theft. This maximizes the privacy of your photos, messages, and personal data.

Moreover, the AV Scan will check for any threats on your smartphone, including searching through all files and programs that are in your device’s memory and SD card. Lastly, the Anti-theft feature enables PSafe Total to track, block, locate, and even erase all of your data remotely in case of loss or theft.

These are just a few of the examples of the features encapsulated in the PSafe Total app. Download it for free on your Android today!

The Issue with Autofill
Many web browsers automatically save your personal information and passwords so that you don’t have to remember it, or frequently type it in. If your laptop or phone is stolen, or if an untrustworthy family member or friend borrows your device, they now have access to your information. They can easily view and use a summarized list of all of your saved login, location, and payment information in your browser’s settings.

Read More: Google’s Password Alert Tool Helps Prevent Phishing Attacks

Consider Using a Passphrase
If you’re having trouble remembering your passwords, the first step might be to create passwords that involve a passphrase instead of a complicated, random sequence of lowercase and uppercase letters, numbers, and symbols. A passphrase is an uncommon phrase or sentence that involves a long sequence of random words (in addition to numbers, symbols, etc), or a sentence that is reasonably unique. A passphrase will be easier to remember, which means that you won’t be tempted to write it down or record it in a note on your device.

Download a Password Manager
If you have more than a dozen accounts, and are having trouble coming up with and remembering long, unique passwords for each one, then a password manager might be the solution to your problem. A password manager is a software application that safely stores all of your passwords. All you need to remember is a master password — you can log into all of your websites with this master password. One of the best password managers currently available is LastPass. It’s easy to use, free, and available for all of your devices.

Protect Your Device
You should do everything you can to protect the information on your devices. While this might include using a password manager or creating more memorable passwords, it should also include downloading antivirus software. Download PSafe Total for your Android and PSafe Total Windows for your PC to protect your devices against malware 24/7.

In an attempt to prevent access to our personal information, we’ve had to create stronger, complicated passwords for each account that are ideally “hack-proof.” Not only is this a difficult process, but it’s also been recommended that we change our passwords frequently — sometimes every 60 days. However, changing our passwords this frequently isn’t beneficial for us, nor does it make our accounts and information more secure.

Read More: Google’s Password Alert Tool Helps Prevent Phishing Attacks

Bad Password Habits
If you’re told to change your password for an account multiple times per year, you’re more likely to create “bad” passwords. Instead of putting in enough effort to create a strong password, you might minimally change a current password by altering a number, adding a different symbol, or else changing a lowercase letter to an uppercase letter. Add in the fact that you probably have at least a dozen different accounts that require passwords. If you change your passwords for all of these accounts too frequently, you’re not only making everything harder for yourself in terms of memorization, but you’re making those accounts less secure.

How Often You Should Change Your Password
Changing your password once (or twice) per year should be sufficient. If you change your password more frequently than that, such as every few months, you’re putting yourself and your account at risk. Even if you were to make strong new passwords every few months, you wouldn’t necessarily prevent any security risks. It would be more troublesome for you than for a potential hacker. However, if you feel like your password has been compromised, is too weak, or if you’ve shared it with someone else, then by all means change it immediately. But make sure you take the time to think of a strong, complex password that will secure your account until it’s time to change it again.

Download PSafe Total
If you really want to make your personal information more secure, download PSafe Total for your Android device and PSafe Total Windows for your PC to ensure that your data is protected against malicious threats 24/7. With PSafe Total’s Vault feature, you can even create a second password for important apps.

Read More: Keep Your Digitally-Savvy Teen Safe Online

• It’s a good idea to create unique passwords for each account or device, especially when it comes to more important accounts, such as those for your e-mail or online banking.
• Make the password as long as you can, and incorporate lower- and uppercase letters, symbols, and numbers. Avoid popular number sequences, words, or important dates.
• Have your child think of a TV show they like, or even a favorite food or color. Tell them to choose something that they will remember, but something that isn’t easily guessable. Now alter that word or phrase, and add in some uppercase letters, numbers, and symbols.
• If you or your child is having trouble thinking of a long password, it’s okay to repeat the password twice to make it longer.
• Teach your child to memorize the password. This is a good practice, especially for beginners who don’t have dozens of different passwords to remember. However, it usually doesn’t hurt to let your child write down his or her password, as long as that information is kept in a safe place.
• A password should be changed semi-regularly.
• Remember to emphasize that a password that is easy and fast to type is not always the best password — Security is more important than speed!

Protect Your Devices From Threats
You have enough things to worry about as your child learns how to navigate the internet — don’t let hacking be one of them. Download PSafe Total for your Android device and PSafe Total Windows for your PC to ensure that your devices are protected from malware 24/7. With PSafe Total you can also add an extra layer of security to your favorite apps, by using the Vault feature to add second passwords. Another layer of security never hurts — especially when you’re sharing your devices with someone still learning about how it all works.