By Lucy Mawufemor Kpeglo
Cybersecurity expert David Gyedu has emphasized the importance of strong passwords in securing personal data online, warning that weak passwords are among the most common entry points for cybercriminals.
Speaking in an interview on the GTV Breakfast Show under the theme “Unpacking Cloud Security Complications, Data Protection, and the Encryption Imperative,” Gyedu explained how vulnerable users are when they rely on simple or predictable passwords.
He noted that attackers often use methods such as dictionary and phishing attacks to gain unauthorized access to data.
“So weak password I can have like, David123 is a weak password, any password that can be found in the dictionary you will suffer a dictionary attack,” he said.
Explaining phishing attacks, Gyedu said hackers often disguise themselves as trusted platforms in order to trick users into submitting their credentials.
“They send you emails to authenticate that it’s coming from maybe Google Drive or Amazon so you have to do that to secure your account. I’m doing that then they will be able to get into your account,” he stated.
To prevent such breaches, the expert shared practical tips on creating secure passwords. According to him, strong passwords should be complex and meet certain criteria.
“Creating a strong passwords you always have to ensure some basic policies. Password must contain upper letters, lower letters, special characters and some signs, and it has to be more than eight characters long or around 12,” he said.
Gyedu also introduced tools like Password Monster, a platform where users can test the strength of their passwords and estimate how long it would take a hacker to crack them.
“When you go to Password Monster, you can put in your password there and tells you how long a hacker can hack into your password,” he mentioned.
He advised individuals to incorporate special characters and even cultural references to strengthen their passwords, using himself as an example.
“My technique I use to set a strong password is I integrate our local names. So my password could be a word called cockroach but cockroach is an English word so it can be attacked so then I will go to Volta and use a password like Agbagblagya. So such a password stands in a long way,” he explained.
In a funny moment, Gyedu also suggested drawing on emotional memories for password inspiration.
“You can use a phrase, the first broken heart you had you will never forget,” he added.
