Secure passwords help from getting hacked

(CBS) - For most of us making and remembering passwords can be a pain.

According to a report with Splash Data, last year found the two most popular passwords were 'password' and '1-2-3-4-5-6'.

Mark Risher Director of Product Management at Google said, "Google has gotten rid of some of the things that are still thought of as best practices elsewhere. like forcing you to rotate your password every few months."
 
Risher said you should come up with unique and complicated passwords.
 
"The best advice for passwords is to actually use a different one at every site."

Instead of putting capital letters at the beginning and numbers at the end, mix it up to make it harder for hackers to guess.

One man, Shane Brady, had his identity stolen.

"I have insane passwords that no one would ever crack," said Brady.

He even came up with his own unique system after having his identity stolen.

"So I make acronyms and I throw numbers of hockey players into my passwords mix up letters and numbers."

But it can be hard to keep track of that, so Risher recommends a password manager that can remember them for you.

It's also a good idea to set up two-tier authentication which usually involves a text or app. A code is sent to your device and you can type it in as an extra security step.

"That's probably the best way your viewers can protect themselves is by adding that second factor," said Risher.

If you want to go a step further, you can also purchase a security. When you try to log into a site your phone or computer detects the device and with a tap you can confirm it's you and not a hacker trying to log in.

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