More than 2 billion data records containing usernames and passwords were compromised in 2021. That’s up 35% percent from the previous year, according to identity software firm ForgeRock. Your digital footprint on social media can lead to data breaches.

Posting about birthdays or even pets can reveal information used by hackers to narrow their brute force on your passwords. Alex Martinez, owner of CMIT Solutions, recommended using two-factor authentication and password managers when possible.

“People are really haphazard about their passwords," Martinez said. "People see them all the time — they’ll look over your shoulder. They’ll email passwords back and forth, and email isn’t always the most secure.”

Martinez also said a good middle ground between randomly generated passwords and ones that can be remembered are full phrases with numbers in place of some of the letters.