Artificial intelligence is increasingly present in our day to day. Unfortunately, it also offers a host of options for hackers. In the case of password theft, they can use it to decrypt an access key. Of course, it will be much more likely if certain parameters that we are going to mention are met.
AI to steal passwords
Please note that passwords are the main security barrier to avoid intruders in your accounts, Wi-Fi network or any device. They are a clear target of cybercriminals, since they could impersonate your identity, steal money from your bank accounts, register you with payment services, etc.
But how could they use AI to steal passwords? Something comes into play known as hash. When you register on a web page, with a certain access key, that password is “transformed” into a certain hash, which is a series of characters with which it is stored on that page. Should an attacker gain access to that website’s database, they could find that stored hash. Artificial intelligence helps you figure out the real password that corresponds to that hash.
For solve that hash, it is necessary to carry out mathematical processes that, logically, are not simple in order to protect passwords. Artificial intelligence has the ability to perform operations faster and be able to process large data sets. It could even break some encryption methods.
Also, they could throw brute force attacks, also made through artificial intelligence, to figure out a password. Basically, with these attacks what they do is try multiple combinations, until they find the right one. This process can be optimized thanks to AI, so the combinations would be fewer and a key could be broken in less time. A clear example is that AI could be more successful when analyzing factors such as the frequency with which a key is used.
Protect your passwords
Can you do something to further protect your passwords and prevent artificial intelligence from stealing them? The truth is that yes and it is something that you should do. Strengthening your keys is essential to avoid having problems on the Internet. You will avoid intruders in your accounts, you will better protect the equipment and you will prevent them from supplanting your identity.
Something essential is to use a really strong and complex password. We have seen that, through artificial intelligence, they can learn certain most used methods and combinations. Make things difficult: create unique and totally random keys. Avoid putting your name, any logical combination, or anything that might make sense to an attacker. Use a password that has a mix of everything, including upper and lower case letters, numbers, and other special symbols. The longer the key, the more combinations there will be and the harder it is for an attacker to figure it out.
Besides, it’s also good change it from time to time. That will strengthen security and prevent it from being stolen in the event of a data breach. How often to change it? Although there is nothing stipulated, to give you an idea it is better to change it every month than every year.
Besides, protect your devices It will always come in handy so that passwords are not stolen. Use a good antivirus, update the system and use only official applications. That will help you protect yourself more. Keep in mind that there are programs to crack passwords, so you should always be careful.
