What Are Login Credentials?

Ivan Stevanovic

Updated: July 14, 2023

SHARE:

Whether you want to log in to a social network, check your email, or open a work-related app, you’ll have to enter your login credentials first. They have become an integral part of our lives, but why do we have them, and what do they do? This article will explain everything you need to know, so let’s get started.

Login Credentials Explained

Login credentials enable us to access any private or restricted system, account, or device at work, home, or on the web. At a minimum, they include a username and password.

It’s not uncommon for a system to request additional verification using two-factor authentication (2FA) or a biometric scan. Modern phones and laptops may only ask for the latter, bypassing the need to deal with logins and passwords. 

Common examples of login credentials are those used for logging in to social media platforms, bank accounts, software, and other web services. Hardware devices like smartphones and computers also require us to use secure login credentials to access them. 

What Is the Purpose of Login Credentials?

We use credentials and login info to protect our data and accounts and restrict access to confidential private or company files. Constant logging in and verifying may be annoying, but it’s necessary for our protection. Without it, anyone could access our personal data on a whim. 

How To Create Secure Login Credentials

Having just any username and password isn’t enough. They both need to be unique enough so that nobody can guess them easily. For example, the password “123456” is used by 23 million accounts, and it’s the first thing any cybercriminal will try. 

Using unique login credentials is essential in preventing such low-effort attacks from being successful. Here are some tips you can use to strengthen the security of your accounts.

Avoid Personal Information

Avoid using any personal information in your username or password because such info is usually easily accessible by any cybercriminal. They can employ social engineering techniques to obtain them, or they could get such info from a data breach that happened to one of the web services you use. 

This is why you should never use any personal info as part of your secure login credentials. You can always perform an online check to see if your email has been compromised. 

Use Complex Passwords

Each password you use should contain a minimum of eight characters, at least one number, one symbol, and a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters. It may be difficult to remember such passwords, so many people use password managers instead. If that’s not your thing, let’s check out an example of making a password harder to crack.

Let’s say we use “dataprot” as our starting password. A more complex version of the same idea could look something like this: “D@t@Pr0T”. It is the same word, but now it’s much harder to guess or crack through automated brute force methods. The more characters, symbols, and numbers the password has, the harder it will be to break. 

Don’t Reuse Passwords

Using the same password, even a complex one, can create a serious security vulnerability. If one of the web services or databases gets hacked and the user data gets leaked on the dark web, your email and password will be compromised. If you use the same user credentials elsewhere (say, on your email or online banking account), the attackers can use them to access all sorts of private data.

Don’t Share Your Credentials

You should never, ever share your secure login credentials with anyone. Insider threats are one of the primary causes of company data breaches. If you give your credentials to one of your co-workers or get tricked into believing that’s what you are doing (hackers love phishing attacks), you’ll still be held responsible for any data breaches that occur because of that. 

Security Threats

User credentials are a valuable target for any cybercriminal. With them, they can access any system you have access to without raising any suspicion. There are several ways for them to steal or gain access to your account credentials.

Brute-Force Attacks

A brute-force attack uses a trial-and-error approach to guessing the user’s security login credentials. It’s a simple and reliable approach that requires time, but it can be sped up substantially with enough computer processing power. 

It shouldn’t be confused with a dictionary attack, which is similar but uses dictionary phrases instead of random combinations like a brute-force attack.

Phishing Attacks

Phishing attacks are the most common form of cyber attack. There are multiple types of phishing attacks, but all of them have similar goals: to steal data or many, gain unauthorized database access, or get the victim to provide some kind of valuable personal or company-related information.

Malware

Any type of malicious software is called malware, and there are many different types you should know about. The ransomware malware is the most notorious kind, but it isn’t the only one that can steal your data. 

Malware can also infiltrate your machine and silently watch what you are doing while recording it and sending it to the attacker. This type of malware is called spyware and is mainly used to steal your login credentials.

How To Protect Against Malware

First of all, install the best malware protection software you can find and keep your system up to date at all times. You can also use a password manager, two-factor authentication, biometric scans, or single sign-on (SSO) technology.

Password Manager

A password manager tool can create and remember our unique login credentials. We only need to create and remember one – the password that we will use for accessing the app. 

Most password managers come in free and paid varieties, with paid versions typically giving you access to more advanced tools and the ability to store more passwords and access them from multiple devices.

Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

Two-factor authentication provides an extra security layer by requiring an additional verification from the user when logging in. Statistics show that most users use mobile push notifications to verify, but hardware authentication tokens aren’t that uncommon, either. 

If anyone manages to steal your account login credentials, they won’t be unable to log in without access to your 2FA device. 

Biometric Scans

A biometric scan doesn’t have to include just scanning of fingerprints, voices, and faces. It monitors the user’s behavioral parameters as well. This type of tracking isn’t 100% accurate, so you won’t be seeing it that often. But fingerprint, voice, and face scans are pretty common, especially on Apple products. 

Single Sign-On (SSO)

Single sign-on enables users to log in to multiple services using only one login detail. Because of this, the SSO will require the user to make a complex password and use a biometric scan or 2FA. 

SSO is mainly used in workplace environments because users don’t have to remember multiple passwords. One is enough to secure access to everything they might need. 

Conclusion

Insisting on using the same or generally weak account credentials because nothing bad has happened so far is a terrible practice that can only lead to problems. Most data breaches are linked to passwords, whether when hackers successfully guess them or are given them willingly through phishing attacks.

Even if you believe that there is nothing that cybercriminals can gain from accessing your account on a specific platform, you shouldn’t make any of your credential-related information easy to obtain. We hope this article convinced you to create strong login credentials in the future.