How often should you change your social media password?

 How often should you change your social media password?

Cyber ​​security experts have suggested not changing long, complex, and different passwords frequently.

Cyber ​​security measures have been suggested to use password managers, two-factor authentication, and biometric authentication.

For years, one piece of advice has become widespread regarding passwords for social media accounts – passwords should be changed every few months. But is this advice really useful? New cybersecurity studies have shown that changing passwords frequently is not always a safe measure, and in some cases, such a tendency can increase risks.

At first glance, this may seem like a common issue, but for some, it can be a serious issue. Because there are users who change their passwords frequently, even without realizing it. Cyber ​​security was certainly not as good as it is today. There were activities that led to password leaks.

In such situations, cybersecurity experts used to recommend changing passwords every 1/2 months. Many even adopted it as a form of discipline. But in practice, when people are forced to change passwords frequently, they tend to adopt easy but insecure methods. That is, changing passwords frequently makes it difficult to remember. That is why people used to add the numbers '1', '2', '3' to the end of passwords in the past.

However, now such a habit is said to be even more dangerous in terms of cybersecurity. For this reason, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) of the United States has withdrawn the old advice to change passwords regularly.

Why not change a secure password frequently?

If your password is long, complex, and has not been used on any other site, experts suggest that it is safer to not change it frequently. However, in some offices or organizations, when there is a rule to change passwords frequently, employees adopt a certain pattern, which hackers already know. This weakens security.

Instead, using a password manager is the best solution. It automatically creates a different, strong password for each site. And, it keeps it safe. The user only needs to change the password of that password manager.

Change your password only in these cases

You may not change your password often enough, except in certain situations. However, if such situations occur, you should change your password immediately. If you receive news that the platforms with your account have been hacked, change your password immediately.

If you have given your password to someone, even temporarily, change it after completing the necessary work. It is better to change your password after using unsecured public WiFi, if you have logged in to them without a VPN.

Change your password immediately if you find that your device has malware. If you are using the same password on many sites, change them all. And create different passwords for all accounts.

Better solutions than changing passwords

But instead of changing your password frequently, there are now new solutions. By adopting them, you can be at least somewhat safe:

Use a password manager. This means you only need to remember one master password. Everything else is safe. Set up two-factor authentication (2FA). This will make your password safer even if it is leaked.

Use biometric authentication. Most new devices now come with passkeys. These use fingerprints or Face ID. These are much harder to steal than passwords.

Always update the software and devices you are using. This also reduces the chance of being hacked.

Be wary of phishing emails and links. Don't click on fake emails that claim to be from banks or delivery companies. .