Digital hygiene

Amidst a whirlwind of digital advances embedded in Pakistan's economy as well as the gradual takeover of fintech over most businesses, digital hygiene is not being awarded the attention that it deserves. The phrase 'digital hygiene' was popularised around 2006 and highlights the importance of practices that secure our data and devices - arguably the most important one being password management.

As users are swarmed with prompts to 'create an account' at every corner of the internet, we're naturally inclined to not give passwords much thought in an exasperated bid to save time and effort. But recent reports by a major cybersecurity firm suggest that 68 per cent of modern passwords can easily be cracked in a day. Once upon a time, this just meant having to go through the hassle of a recovery email. But now, it means that your identity, financials, medical records and family information are all accessible to anyone willing to put in a day's work.

The rise of digital banking in Pakistan has made most users vulnerable to cyber attacks that target their money. The possibility of your life's savings simply disappearing due to unprotected passwords is, unfortunately, dangerously high. Not only that, but a rise in phishing calls and 'pretend kidnappers' attempting to coax money out of you with empty threats necessitate stringent data privacy.

The good news is that protecting your digital privacy doesn't require an overload of technical information. Enabling multi-factor authentication, choosing randomised passwords over predictable patterns such as '1234' or your birth year, and using a password manager are small habits that collectively build an adequate defence. In a country where digital infrastructure is outpacing digital awareness, the responsibility to stay safe increasingly falls on the individual. Treat your passwords the way you'd treat your housekeys - because in a digital economy, they effectively are.