Choosing security questions for online platforms may seem trivial or even annoying at times, but these seemingly harmless queries play a vital role in strengthening your digital security and protecting your privacy.
A 2020 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report showed that more than 80% of breaches happen due to weak or stolen passwords, which is alarming considering another study claimed that nearly a million passwords are stolen every single week.
Given the fact that we are living in a world of massive data breaches and online tracking, security questions serve as your first line of defense. Especially in the event when someone tries to break into your account using your compromising credentials. This means you need to be extra careful while choosing these questions – after all, you wouldn’t want someone to access your sensitive information by guessing your favorite color or the name of your pet, right?
To help you maintain your digital footprint, we have put together a list of security questions that might threaten your online privacy along with compiling the ones that may deter cybercriminals from gaining unauthorized access to your account.
Unsafe security questions
There are quite a few things that make a security question unsafe. For starters, if the answer is easily guessable or publicly available, it defeats the entire purpose of setting up an additional authentication measure. Moreover, questions with subjective or changing answers can lead to confusion, which could prevent the user from accessing their own data.
Let’s look at some security questions that you should consider avoiding.
What is your favorite color?
This is a generic question that can be easily guessed or found through social media, making it a poor choice for security.
What is your pet’s name?
This is yet another common question with readily available information on social media profiles, making it susceptible to unauthorized access.
What is your mother’s maiden name?
Although it is one of the most typical security questions, it can be easily discovered through genealogy searches or public records.
What is your high school’s name?
This question may be known to your acquaintances or available online, potentially compromising your security.
What is your birthdate?
Your date of birth is a widely used and easily accessible piece of personal information, making it a weak line of defense against hackers.
Good security questions
A good security question has an answer that is known only to the account holder. In addition, it is not easy to guess and ideally remains consistent over time, providing a reliable and secure means of authentication.
Here are a few examples of good security questions:
What was the name of your first-grade teacher?
This question delves into personal memories, making it difficult for outsiders to guess the answer accurately.
What is the middle name of your favorite childhood friend?
This question requires knowledge about your childhood and early life, providing a strong barrier against casual hackers.
What is the street name of the first house you lived in?
This question requires specific information from your past, making it a challenging puzzle for unauthorized users to crack.
What is the name of the hospital where you were born?
It is a unique question tied to your birthplace, ensuring that only you can access the answer.
What is the model of the first smartphone you owned?
As an individualized question about your tech history, it poses a formidable challenge to potential intruders.
Things to keep in mind when choosing a security question
When selecting a security question, there are several crucial factors to consider to ensure your online accounts remain well-protected
- Uniqueness: Choose questions with answers that are specific to you and not readily available through public sources or social media.
- Memorability: Pick questions that have answers you won’t forget, but are still difficult for others to guess.
- Consistency: Use different security questions for different accounts to avoid a domino effect.
- Relevance: Select questions that are meaningful to you, but not easily discoverable through casual conversations or online research.
- Stability: Ensure the answers to your security questions remain constant over time, even if life circumstances change.
- Avoid Personally Identifiable Information (PII): Refrain from using sensitive information like your Social Security number, credit card details, or account passwords as security questions.
- Avoid ambiguity: Opt for questions with clear and straightforward answers to minimize confusion when responding.
- Secretive nature: Keep your security questions private and don’t share them with anyone.
- Test your questions: Before finalizing security questions, test them by imagining you’re a hacker trying to guess the answers. If you find them easy to guess, choose different questions.
It is a good practice to periodically review and update your security questions. This can help you stay ahead of potential threats and keep your accounts secure.
Keep your accounts secure with PureKeep
If you’re worried about choosing the right security questions or tired of forgetting your passwords all the time, PureKeep could help protect your confidential information from prying eyes while putting an end to all your password-related woes!
PureKeep is a premium password manager that keeps your accounts locked down like a fortress by storing all your passwords in one secure vault. This encrypted vault is accessible only by you, making it virtually impenetrable to cyber threats.
Conclusion
To conclude, choosing the right security questions is like assembling a team of experts to protect your digital assets. You want questions that are both distinctive and memorable, but also ones that can’t be easily cracked by hackers.
Avoid generic questions like your birthdate or mother’s maiden name, as those details can be easily found through a quick internet search. Instead, opt for questions with answers known only to you, like the name of your favorite childhood teacher or the street you grew up on.
This brings us to the end of our blog. To learn more about online security measures, stay connected to PureVPN Blog.
