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Five Username Mistakes That Can Be Worse Than Using the

Same Password for All Your Online Accounts

Most Internet users are well aware that they need to be hyper-vigilant to keep their passwords
and personal information protected. They have heard the recommendations that they need to
use a password not related to their name, address or pet’s name while including symbols,
numbers and random capital letters. But, the reality is the usernames they have created for
email accounts, social media and other online services could be delivering all their private
details into the hands of cyber criminals – no password needed.

While it might seem harmless to include a first name and the numbers from your street address
in a username, cyber criminals can harvest those details to search for other private information
that you may not know is publicly available on the Internet.
“Cyber criminals use a technique called Doxing, essentially combing the web for snippets of
information about a person, to build a full profile they can use to execute crimes like identity
theft, scams or other targeted attacks,” said Shaun Murphy, CEO of PrivateGiant. “People do
not realize that if they do something as benign as posting a comment on a public page with a
username like CrazyShaunOrlando those two pieces of information are enough detail for a
criminal to exploit. Within minutes they can find your home address, how much you purchased
your home for, what high school you attended, where your kids go to school, the list goes on.”
The following five common mistakes should be avoided when creating a username, and if you
are currently accessing accounts with a username that is guilty of one of these errors you will
want to change it as soon as possible.

1. Recycling One Username Across Accounts – just like recycling a password is a bad idea
you should avoid using the same username to log into different online accounts as well. Having
one common username across accounts just makes it easier for criminals to search for and find
details about your life.

2. Including All or Part of Your Name – business professionals and students often use a
variation of their full name as an email address, on social media and other online forums. While
people might be able to easily search for and follow or friend you, you are also making it easier
for criminals to do the same.

3. Revealing Details About Your Location – whether it is the city you reside in now or where
you were born including a meaningful location in your username is never a good idea. Not only

67 Cyber Warnings E-Magazine – May 2015 Edition
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