You’re sitting on the couch, iPad in hand, when your new gaming app asks you to create a password. You want to start playing right away, so you type the first thing that comes to mind: 123456. Bad idea! That’s one of the most common passwords in the world, and a hacker could guess it almost instantly.
Weak passwords aren’t just a problem for gamers. Last October, thieves pulled off a daring robbery at the Louvre Museum in Paris, France. In just a few minutes, they stole about $100 million worth of jewels. After the theft, investigators reported that Louvre officials had been alerted about security problems years before. According to a 2014 report, the password on some of the museum’s security cameras was simply “Louvre”!
Experts say an incident like this is a reminder of why cybersecurity matters. Without safety measures in place, valuable information—or treasures—are left unprotected.
“Think of all the important things you have in your accounts,” says Ariel Fox Johnson, a data privacy expert at Common Sense Media. “It could be schoolwork, messages to your friends and family, or pictures.”