Credential dumping is a technique used by hackers to steal passwords for multiple accounts when they have accessed one computer. It can happen because of the way operating systems store passwords once you have entered them.
We have all seen the news of a Makerere lecturer suing MTN over a similar scenario where someone swap replaced his sim cards and took control of all his online accounts(Gmail and web hosting accounts).
It’s bad enough when hackers get their hands on one of your accounts or logins. They can use one stolen password to steal many of your other passwords as well. If your computer is on a network, they may be able to steal other users’ passwords too.
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What Is Credential Dumping?
Security researchers have been talking about the dangers of credential dumping. This is a technique used by hackers to access multiple accounts from one person.
It begins when hackers get access to a victim’s computer. From this computer, they are able to extract usernames and passwords for multiple accounts. These could include logins for bank accounts, email accounts, and login information for other machines or networks.
This can make it easier for hackers to steal someone’s identity and take over all of their accounts. They can also use this technique to grab login details for other users on the network, spreading a vulnerability from a single machine to an entire system.
How to Protect Yourself From Credential Dumping
You can see the threat posed by credential dumping. But there are some simple steps you can take to protect yourself and your device from this technique:
1. Don’t Store Your Passwords on Your Computer
A bad habit many people have picked up is storing all their passwords in an unencrypted text file on their hard drive. They know that they mustn’t use the same password for multiple sites and that passwords should be hard to guess. So they use random passwords. But they can’t remember all of them so they write them down in a file on their computer.
The reason this is a problem is that if an attacker accesses that one text file, they have access to all of your passwords for every site. This is a big security risk and makes credential dumping very easy, so it should be avoided.
2. Enable Microsoft Defender
If you’re a Windows user, you should definitely make sure Microsoft Defender, Microsoft’s antivirus solution, is enabled.
Microsoft says that Defender will protect against credential dumping by protecting the lsass.exe process which is the target of many credential dumping attacks. When you enable Defender, it will run automatically in the background to protect your computer.
The defender should be enabled by default on Windows machine. To check, go to Settings in Windows, then to Update & Security. Choose Windows Security from the menu on the left. Now click Open Windows Defender Security Center. Here, check that Virus & threat protection and Account protection are enabled.
3. Use Two-Factor Authentication
One of the best ways to protect yourself from password theft is to use two-factor authentication wherever possible. This means that when you go to log in to a site, you first enter your username and password. Then, if the password is correct, you enter the second piece of information.
Usually, you will enter a code that is generated by an app on your phone. Alternatively, you can enter a code which is sent to your phone via SMS.
The idea is that even if an attacker knows your password, they don’t have access to your phone or your email. The only way to access your account is when you have both the password and access to your device.
The annoying thing about two-factor authentication is that you have to enable it individually on every site you use. But you should definitely start by enabling it on your most essential websites, like your email account and your online banking
