“Your passwords are the keys to your digital world.” That’s a phrase frequently pushed out in articles on security and data breaches. It’s a little trite at this point, but that’s really only for one reason: it’s the truth.

Your password is often one of the only layers of protection between your vital personal data and a hacker stealing it all, which means it’s incredibly important.

So, why then, in 2025, are many folks still committing this incredibly basic yet unfathomably common password creation error?

Please stop doing this with your passwords

Especially if you fall for a scam or click on a phishing email

Credit: 1Password

1Password’s 2025 Phishing Report contained some really damning statistics about how we use passwords. Aside from the fact that more than 80 percent of Americans have been phished in the past year, the 1Password report contained an equally wild stat: 76 percent of Americans reuse their passwords after a shopping scam.

That’s three-quarters of everyone deciding to keep using the same password after an account breach, when it’s almost guaranteed that your data has been compromised in some way.

There are a couple of reasons why this is a really dangerous move.

First, if your account is compromised through a phishing email, malware, or another type of scam, you should consider any data associated with it vulnerable. This includes your passwords, email address, payment information, personally identifiable information (such as name, date of birth, home address, and social security number), and any other information stored in the account.

The information will obviously vary depending on the account. But here’s why reusing your password is a terrible idea: once it’s breached once, it’s almost guaranteed that scammers will reuse it across any other linked accounts.

They can take the information from the stolen account and use it to track down other accounts associated with you. Any account using the same credentials can also be easily breached, causing more damage.

This is why one piece of password advice never change: never reuse your password across accounts, ever. It makes it too easy to breach, especially in the era when we have so many excellent free password managers.

This is what to do after your account is breached

It depends on how your data was stolen

Data breaches are common. It’s a part of modern life that everyone experiences at some point. Unfortunately, you can have the strongest password and most unique username, but if the service itself is breached, all of that data goes with it.

That’s why it’s important to know what to do after your account is breached.

First, figure out where the data breach came from. This is important because the type of breach depends on the best course of action. At least, there may be an extra step or two before you get to changing your account information, which is typically one of the first actions you’re advised to take.

The big difference is whether malware is involved. If your device is infected with malware, it’s better to clean your device before making any other changes. That’s because the malware could be stealing your private information and logging your keystrokes, meaning that any changes you make to your account are immediately stolen. It’s a pointless effort.

I’d advise you to remove the malware before doing anything else, then run a few malware scans once you’re complete to check that it’s removed.

You could change your account information on a completely separate, known-clean device.

Once your device is clean (or if it wasn’t a malware-based breach), you should change your password. I’d advise using a proper password manager rather than storing your passwords in your browser. A proper password manager is more secure and has specific password security features; it’s just more secure.

That said, if it’s between using your browser password manager and none at all, I’d say go for it. Browser password managers have improved significantly, and as said, it’s better to use this rather than nothing, especially if that means you end up reusing the same passwords.

Reusing your password is a fool’s game

Just stop it

Reusing a password feels like a simple hack that makes it easy to get into your accounts. But if it’s easy for you, it’ll be even easier for a hacker with your details. And when there are numerous ways to create a strong and unique password, there is no excuse not to.

Furthermore, when you use a password manager, you’re drastically reducing the chance that a data breach will spread throughout your accounts. Each account receives a strong and unique password, while you use a single master password to protect your password vault. It immediately levels up your security game, and really, it doesn’t even take long to switch over.

Remember, reusing a password across multiple accounts is asking for trouble. Unfortunately, in the modern era, it’s not a case of if you’ll be breached, it’s when.