Thinking up passwords and managing them is a big pain, no two ways around it. One website requires a symbol, and another requires 14 characters. Meanwhile, your bank requires 10 characters, four PIN numbers and the answer to a secret question. In the midst of all this, it’s easy to just use the same three or four passwords for everything — after all, that’s more secure than a single password, right?
But imagine this. Say you use the same password for your Gmail, your Amazon and the account you use to order gift cards at a 10% discount for client gifts. One day, the gift card website is hacked. Not only do the crooks get your credit card info, they also get the list of all the website’s users and those users’ passwords. Then, they publish these freely on the internet.
But if you use different passwords for all your accounts, you’re safe despite any crisis that may arise. Make sure you practice good password security.