Use a word that only has meaning to you: It’s possible for a username to be memorable without being based on personal identifiers. How can you avoid using common phrases like your first or last name in your username and still make your username memorable? Unfortunately, this only makes it easier for hackers to accurately guess a username in fewer attempts. Many of us have used our first or last name (or both) as a username, with the understandable intent of making it memorable in the future. It should come as no surprise that nine of the ten most common usernames are also common first names. In any event, an email asking for your username, password, or credit card information should always raise a red flag. If your username happens to be your email address, they will already have an important piece of the puzzle when you respond. To attempt a phishing attack, the scammer will first need to know (or guess) your email address. It usually involves an email or text message from someone masquerading as a trusted business alerting you to suspicious activity or asking you to confirm personal information. Usernames protect you from hacking and social engineering: Phishing is a common social engineering scam.This is where the value of strong and unique usernames for each account really comes into play. In the aftermath of an attack, cybercriminals often try to log in to many different accounts using combinations of stolen passwords and usernames with a strategy known as credential stuffing. Usernames can protect you during a data breach: The most important function of a secure username is to protect you during a data breach.These accounts allow us to create secure usernames and implement valuable username best practices. Accounts that protect personal financial information, like tax preparation services, bank accounts, and credit cards, require unique customer-generated usernames. Other accounts automatically default to the user’s email address, which makes the username easy to remember but impossible to update or refresh for added security.

Usernames are required for certain accounts: Some accounts and apps only require a password for login.

Dashlane multi factor authentication