MEPX
Chapter 2 of 10All chapters
  1. 1What makes a password strong
  2. 2The reuse problem
  3. 3Password managers
  4. 4Two factor authentication
  5. 5Passkeys
  6. 6Recovery and backup access
  7. 7Breaches
  8. 8Phishing your credentials
  9. 9Where secrets live
  10. 10A realistic plan

Chapter 2 of 10

The reuse problem

One leak, many accounts.

Credential stuffing

Breached email and password pairs are replayed across thousands of sites by automated tools. Reuse turns one forgotten forum breach into access to your bank.

  • Billions of pairs are already circulating.
  • Uniqueness matters more than complexity.

Near reuse

Variations such as adding the site name are trivially guessed once one password is known. Uniqueness means unrelated, not slightly different.