It’s all over the news: headlines claiming that Starbucks was hacked or that hackers broke into the Starbucks mobile app. What is true is that cybercriminals are targeting Starbucks accounts, but not because of a breach. We suspect that these accounts are being targeted because of weak customer passwords or user credentials obtained from other data breaches.
We know that password reuse is common, which presents a challenge when it comes to securing your online accounts. When a data breach happens on another website or service, cybercriminals will try to use those stolen credentials to gain access to other websites, because they know people tend to reuse passwords. These same crooks will also try to gain access to these accounts by trying a number of commonly used passwords.
Use strong passwords for Starbucks accounts
Whether you’re a loyal Starbucks Card owner or someone who received a Starbucks card as a gift, we suggest you review the password associated with your Starbucks account. Choose a password that is strong and unique. Since remembering passwords can be a challenge, consider using a password manager. A password manager is software that is available for desktops, laptops, and mobile devices that stores all of your passwords in a secure way. They can even generate strong and unique passwords for you. Our favorites include Norton Identity Safe, LastPass, 1Password, and Dashlane, but there are others you can choose from.
Passwords aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. If you haven’t already, take some time to audit your online accounts, including your Starbucks account and ensure that your passwords are strong and unique for each one.