How to stop qwertying your way to hackers: 5 internet security tips from OctaFX

Meet Amir. He is a regular user of online stores. Some time ago, Amir registered an account with one such store. When registering, he used his work email address and the password he used everywhere: Qwerty123. He made a purchase on the site using his bank card, which he then added to his account.

Two weeks later, Amir decided to check his banking app, anticipating a new round of online shopping in the evening. His salary had to be waiting for him in his account. To his astonishment, the money was not there. Amir was ready to start calling the finance department of his company in his righteous anger when he checked the history of his card transactions. His heart sank. There was a $500 purchase he never made. Someone purchased a smartphone on the site he had registered with two weeks ago. Moreover, the smartphone was already picked up from one of the branches of the store in his city.

Amir felt devastated, to say the least. But that was only the beginning of his misfortunes. Suddenly, his colleague came up to him and said, 'Amir, are you selling our customer database on the internet? It's your name there!' Amir only had time to mumble, 'It's not me,' before he saw his boss standing in front of him, ready, it seemed, to burn him with his stare. 'You're fired!' was the last thing Amir heard before losing consciousness and... waking up.

'Phew... It was just a dream,' Amir said to himself. 'But how could all this happen?'

Let's analyse Amir's case. The first thing he did wrong was registering anywhere with his work email address. While some of us may be hard-working to the point of mixing our life and work spaces, it is unprofessional and dangerous to use your work email for personal use.

The second mistake Amir made was his password. It was just too easy to crack, as it was one of the most common passwords in the world. Amir had to be much more creative when setting up a password, or use a password generator. And no, 'Amir123' wouldn't be any better. Something like 'B{6{2BP2vG' would be excellent.

Another mistake was that Amir used the same password everywhere. Even if you use a very complex password, someone might see it on a note on your table or on the 'saved passwords' page on the computer you used just once. If they use it, they might hack all your accounts at once.

The fourth mistake Amir made was adding his bank card to his account in the store. Hackers used it to their advantage and got brand-new smartphone. The fact that it was their main bank card of Amir made it worse—it meant he had all his money on it.

We can assume that Amir made his final mistake when surfing the internet. He probably did it using an unsecured internet connection or just downloaded some malware, making it easier for hackers to get into his accounts. Alternatively, considering his very common password, it could be anyone who knew his email address, even the competitors of the company he worked in.

So, here are five security tips from OctaFX every internet user should take note of: