Samsung shares easy-to-miss setting that stops yours passwords being ‘leaked’ online – four taps turn it on instantly
SAMSUNG users can prevent their login information from falling into the wrong hands in just a few easy steps.
The tech giant has embraced a new and more secure login method known as passkeys.
Unlike a typical username and password combination, a passkey calls for your face or fingerprint – unique physical identifiers called biometrics.
Compared to traditional passwords, passkeys are highly secure and harder, if not nearly impossible, to crack.
Rather than being stored on a server, passkeys are stored in a mobile application called Samsung Pass.
This means the phone itself is required to authenticate your identity. All you have to do is use your fingerprint.
To harness the power of Samsung Pass, begin by opening any passkey-compatible app.
Then, sign in and go to “Profile,” then “Account,” followed by “Set up passkey.”
Make sure your Samsung Pass account is selected before tapping “Create” and saving the passkey.
You can also use your Samsung passkey to sign into another device like a personal computer or tablet.
Try to log in with a passkey on your computer or tablet and select “Another device.” Using your Galaxy phone, scan the QR code on the screen.
Select “Use passkey to sign in.” Once the passkey is authenticated, the login process will be complete – easy as that.
Samsung is not the only tech giant embracing safer sign-ons, either.
Amazon announced in October 2023 that it would allow users to access their accounts with biometrics or a PIN code.
And passkeys aren’t the only option. If you prefer signing on using traditional credentials, there are ways to make this information more secure.
Start by making passwords longer and staying away from familiar words, phrases, or dates like birthdays.
Remember: if the passwords are easy for you to remember, they’re likely just as easy for a hacker to guess.
Don’t use the same password across multiple sites, as this gives hackers easy access to multiple accounts in the event of a data breach.
PASSWORD RULES – DON'T BREAK THEM
Here are some important tricks to follow, as revealed by Keeper Security…
- Make sure to use a combination of upper and lowercase letters. It’s much easier to “crack” a password if it only uses lowercase letters.
- Never include personal data like your birthday, street address, and certainly not your name.
- Ensure that every password has at least 12 characters. This will significantly increase the time it would take a hacker to crack your login.
- Include symbols whenever you can. Not all services allow this, but if you can add question marks, exclamation marks, hash symbols, and slashes, your password will be far safer.
- Ensure that you’re using varied and non-sequential numbers. So, rather than having 1234 at the end of your password, mix them in and use a random order.
- Avoid, where possible, using words found in the dictionary in your password.
Security experts recommend a minimum of 12 characters using a mix of letters, numbers, and symbols.
You can also use a password generator in tandem with a password manager.
This allows you to strengthen your password by randomizing it and store it in a safe place – no memorization required.