How to protect your password from hackers | 7 On Your Side

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Cybercriminals never rest, from health insurance providers to online ticket services, data breaches have become a regular part of life.

Your password is online gold! It's the major firewall between hackers and your life. It protects your bank, medical, and social media accounts.

Remember that Ticketmaster and AT&T data breach last year? Hundreds of millions of profiles were stolen. So, how do you check if your password was included in those hacks? Well, here's some news you can use!

You can visit websites like Aura's dark web scanner, Social Catfish has a section to check your password and also the website, Have I been pwned. That's short for password owned.

Nina Pineda ran her email through it and it was part of 12 breaches! They included ones from ticket-fly, the park-mobile app, and Home Chef.

Passwords are clearly important, but is there anything else we should be worried about?

7 On Your Side teamed up with Social Catfish, a California-based cybersecurity company, and had them do a deep dive using only her name. The results came fast and made Nina Pineda furious.

"Literally in four minutes, Nina, I was able to find your email and password that you've used in the past. You may even currently use it," said David McClellan, from Social Catfish.

"Wait, wait. David, in four minutes you found my email with password combo?" she said.

The search results were a wake-up call!

"One of them actually has your email in the description," he said.

"Wait a minute, that's my cell!" Pineda said.

So, how do you punch back and avoid getting hacked? First, try searching for yourself online. If your email and personal information pop up in Google Chrome, click the three dots.
- Then click "remove results" from the window that pops up on the left.
- Then "It shows my personal contact info"
- Fill out the form and hit send.

Google will email you the results of your request.

Here's how to create a really secure password.

McClellan recommends you start with a random short phrase as a password, like "I love the sun", something you can remember.

Now, throw in some spaces between the words, then mix in a number or two, a seven maybe.

Mix in some symbols like a dollar sign and exclamation point.

Finally, capitalize a few of the words and viola, you've created a major firewall and upped your online security.

----------
SHARE YOUR STORY

Do you have an issue with a company that you haven't been able to resolve? If so, 7 On Your Side wants to help you!

Fill out the form below or email your questions, issues, or story ideas by filling out the form below or by emailing 7OnYourSideNina@abc.com. All emails MUST INCLUDE YOUR NAME AND CELLPHONE NUMBER. Without a phone number, 7 On Your Side will not be able to respond.