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NZ Watchdog: Improve Password Procedures to Avoid Data Breaches

New Zealanders need to up their game with passwords, Privacy Commissioner Michael Webster said Wednesday.

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The official said he's worried about the increased risk of privacy breaches caused by password spraying, where hackers find one password and try it on other accounts to see if it works.

People should use a password manager to store their passwords; create long, strong passwords and change them immediately if they've been hacked; and turn on two-factor identification, the commissioner advised.