The most common failure.
WHAT HAPPENS
A service you used is breached.
Your email address and password appear in a list.
Attackers try that combination against every other service automatically.
WHAT THAT MEANS
A password used in two places is only as secure as the weaker service.
WHY IT IS SO COMMON
People cannot remember many unique passwords.
Without a manager, reuse is inevitable.
WHAT GETS COMPROMISED THIS WAY
Email accounts Hosting accounts Social profiles Payment services
THE EMAIL CONSEQUENCE
A compromised email account allows password resets on everything else.
That is why it matters most.
HOW TO CHECK
Services exist that report whether your address appears in known breaches.
Worth checking.
WHAT TO DO IF YOURS APPEARS
Change that password, and any other account using it.
WHAT TO DO GENERALLY
A password manager, and a unique password everywhere.
