Add a capital letter. Needs a number. Oops, you forgot a special character. That’s how it feels to create a tough password these days.
By now, you’re used to the login runaround, but how good are you at it? Put yourself to the test with a password game that even the creator admits he can’t beat.
New York-based coder Neal Agarwal has made some pretty nifty sites I’ve shared in the past.
Neal’s latest creation, The Password Game, challenges you to create a login meeting increasingly complex requirements. It starts easily enough — make it at least five characters, then include a number, uppercase letter and special character.
Rule No. 5 is the first one that threw me: “The digits in your password must add up to 25.” It only gets trickier from there. I don’t want to spoil anything, but I laughed out loud a few times!
Quick Response codes, or QR codes, can be helpful to direct mobile phone users to a website quickly. You don’t need to remember the URL, as you only need to point your phone’s camera at the uniquely-generated square.
Biometric bandwagon: Unlock your Amazon app on your iPhone with your fingerprint or face. On the web, open Amazon account settings, click Login & security, then click Set up next to Passkey. Once it’s ready, you can use your passkey with the iOS app. Sorry, Android peeps, but you’ll have to wait.
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Ever get stuck on a webpage that won’t close? A new scam makes it even harder to escape.
🚨 FBI crypto warning: Cybercriminals are posing as cryptocurrency exchange employees. They try to convince you your account was hacked or at risk and then ask for your login details so they can transfer all your money to their wallets, all as you watch. No one legit will ever, ever ask for your login details or seed phrase.
It’s hard to imagine the modern internet without the presence of Facebook — or should we say “omnipresence?” It’s everywhere you look on the web, and the login buttons that connect websites and apps with the platform are still a common sight.
Routers are an intrinsic part of every home’s internet. It helps make sure all your devices are connected and online. However, this device can be one of the most unsecured pieces of tech in your house. If you forget the information associated with your router, you won’t be able to change the settings to protect yourself—until now. This cool site can help you retrieve that information so you and your family can stay safe online.
📱 Android app fix: Is an app crashing or behaving weirdly? Try clearing its cache. Go to Settings > Apps and select the app you want. Now tap Storage & cache or Storage and tap Clear cache. Don’t hit Clear data — that’ll delete your app settings and login details and reset the app to the default install.
🚨 Social Security emails: The U.S. Social Security Administration just sent out a mass email saying you need to create a Login.gov account. It’s legit. To create yours, head to Login.gov, go to Sign in at the top of the page and select Create an account. They also recommend an authenticator app. I like Google Authenticator.
Say no: If your bank asks you to set up your voice profile attached to your account, decline. You can bet hackers are trolling the internet to get clips of folks talking to make their own deepfake copies. A fingerprint or a solid password are safer login methods.
🏦 They’ve hacked Fort Knox: Ransomware group LockBit says they have 33TB of U.S. Federal Reserve data, claiming it holds “Americans’ banking secrets.” There’s no proof yet, but they’re threatening to spill it. Get proactive: Set up banking alerts, use two-factor authentication on your bank login and watch your accounts.
🥩 The password “beefstew” is not stroganoff: Hackers are still going after password manager LastPass. If someone calls and offers help changing your LastPass login, hang up because it’s fake. You really need a better password manager.
🇺🇸 Patriot Mobile’s big breach: The self-proclaimed “Christian conservative wireless provider” exposed its cellphone customers’ info, including full names, email addresses, ZIP codes and account PINs. Hard to ignore the timing on this one … If you’re a subscriber, update your login info ASAP.
⏫ No cap: Use a Mac? Now, when you click into a form field (like a search bar or login area), you’ll see a blue arrow icon pop up to alert you if you’re typing in all caps. ‘Bout time we got a warning before entering a long, complicated password with Caps Lock enabled!
👀 Total recall: Microsoft rolled out their new AI features on May 21. One called Recall takes snapshots of your screen every few seconds so you can view past activities later. And I mean everything: Apps, video calls, files, browser activities and login details are all fair game. It’s exclusive to their new Copilot+ line of PCs. I’ll pass, thanks.
Newest scam making the rounds: If you have automatic deposits enabled with your banking or financial institutions, cybercriminals can put money into your account. Why is that bad, you ask? They’ll immediately follow up with a sob story email asking you to send it back via a phishing link, effectively stealing your login info in the process. Don’t click any random links, and turn on 2FA for your banking logins.
Did you know that login prompts can be dangerous? Here’s how hackers can trick you, in one minute.
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