Never reuse a password

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Preview:

Reusing passwords might seem harmless, but it’s one of the easiest ways to get hacked. Once a single site is breached, attackers use stolen credentials everywhere—banking sites, email accounts, and online stores. How tools like password managers and data broker removal services can help you stay secure.

Never reuse a password. It doesn't matter whether you used it before or someone else did. If it was ever used by anyone anywhere, it is probably in a password database that can be used to crack your password. But reusing your passwords is a terrible security mistake. If any site loses it, then the miscreants who got it or bought it will try every bank, credit card company, email provider, cell phone company, and store they can imagine to hack your account or information.

During 2025, the threat-intelligence firm Synthient aggregated 2 billion unique email addresses disclosed in credential-stuffing lists found across multiple malicious internet sources. Comprised of email addresses and passwords from previous data breaches, these lists are used by attackers to compromise other, unrelated accounts of victims who have reused their passwords. The data also included 1.3 billion unique passwords, which are now searchable in Pwned Passwords.

Haveibeenpwned.com

The website https://haveibeenpwned.com is a wonderful site to check on your login passwords and email address. They list over 17 billion pwned accounts covering 919 breaches. I have a free account with them and get notified when some company loses my information. So far, 16 different companies have lost my information. 14 of them I'd never heard of; they bought my information from someone else.

Also, a reason to use the Data broker removal service Incogni to take my name off and keep it off hundreds of data brokers. I did an article about them last year.

Obviously, you can't remember a password for each site, so I recommend using a password manager like KeePass or Bitwarden. I've written about both of them.

Date: December 2025

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

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Home Forms About Current Newsletter subscribe Search All Articles Browse by Category Security Internet Mobile Business Hardware Fun		Never reuse a password Preview: Reusing passwords might seem harmless, but it’s one of the easiest ways to get hacked. Once a single site is breached, attackers use stolen credentials everywhere—banking sites, email accounts, and online stores. How tools like password managers and data broker removal services can help you stay secure. Never reuse a password. It doesn't matter whether you used it before or someone else did. If it was ever used by anyone anywhere, it is probably in a password database that can be used to crack your password. But reusing your passwords is a terrible security mistake. If any site loses it, then the miscreants who got it or bought it will try every bank, credit card company, email provider, cell phone company, and store they can imagine to hack your account or information. During 2025, the threat-intelligence firm Synthient aggregated 2 billion unique email addresses disclosed in credential-stuffing lists found across multiple malicious internet sources. Comprised of email addresses and passwords from previous data breaches, these lists are used by attackers to compromise other, unrelated accounts of victims who have reused their passwords. The data also included 1.3 billion unique passwords, which are now searchable in Pwned Passwords. Haveibeenpwned.com The website https://haveibeenpwned.com is a wonderful site to check on your login passwords and email address. They list over 17 billion pwned accounts covering 919 breaches. I have a free account with them and get notified when some company loses my information. So far, 16 different companies have lost my information. 14 of them I'd never heard of; they bought my information from someone else. Also, a reason to use the Data broker removal service Incogni to take my name off and keep it off hundreds of data brokers. I did an article about them last year. Obviously, you can't remember a password for each site, so I recommend using a password manager like KeePass or Bitwarden. I've written about both of them. Date: December 2025 This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
		I attempt to provide reliable information, but make no warranty as to the accuracy or safety of these articles. I disclaim all legal responsibility for what following these instructions may do. Follow my advice at your own risk