An estimated 75 percent of Americans struggle to keep track of their passwords. Unsurprisingly, 66 percent of people reported using the same password on multiple accounts as a way to remember their passwords. Because users do not have a secure way to store passwords, 40 percent of people have had their personal information compromised online. Hackers will do everything they can to steal passwords and access private information. By 2025, cybercrime will cost global economies an estimated $10.5 trillion per year. Learning how to keep passwords safe can protect you from hackers and cybercriminals. Your Password Is Not Safe Right Now Storing passwords offline is important because your password is not as safe as you think it is. Each year, 7 to 10 percent of Americans are victims of identity theft. A total of 21 percent of these people are repeat victims. Most people do not use a password keeper or a secure way to store passwords. Your password is supposed to protect your important data, but it must remain a secret. If cybercriminals can figure out what your password is, all of your personal information is at risk. Unfortunately, cybercriminals spend a significant amount of their time figuring out how to hack major corporations and financial institutions. Once they gain access to one of these sites, they can use the passwords or sell the stolen passwords on the dark web. These data breaches cost an average company $8.64 million. Many data breaches happen because of insecure passwords, so it is important to keep passwords safe if you want to protect your personal information. How Hackers Access Your Passwords Most likely, your password is not as unique as you think it is. Even though many sites have added layers of encryption, hackers can use social engineering and guesswork to figure out your password. If they know what your password is, the best encryption software will not protect your account. The following passwords are the most common ones used today. 123456. 1234