Superstar Mary Katherine Gallagher Gets Hacked

This is my final post on how to build up your defenses against hackers and scammers. Over ten billion dollars were stolen in 2023 according to the Federal Trade Commission which is a fourteen percent increase over 2022. I predict this figure will be eclipsed in 2024 as these criminals use artificial intelligence (AI) to snooker us. Today’s post is a deep dive into passwords – the Golden Gate Bridge to your hard-earned savings.

Meet Our Special Guest

How many of you remember the 1999 comedy starring Molly Shannon’s “Superstar?” The fictional Mary Katherine Gallagher is an awkward teenager who works in a video store after school. Her job is to rewind all the VHS tapes to be re-shelved and rented again. Her life is a series of monologues from the movies she rewinds. Mary Katherine famously acts out inappropriate movie scenes to the priests and sisters at St. Monica High School. Here’s the cleanest clip I could find to refresh your memory of “Superstar.”

Personal Data?

Our Superstar was a twitchy character who introduces herself with her full name, when meeting others. She was the first ‘person’ who came to mind when I was constructing this story about how passwords are so easily hacked. Let me set the table with her data. Truth be told, I added some snarky information as well.

Name Mary Katherine Gallagher

2001 graduate of Saint Monica High School

School Principal Sister Patricia Micheal

2005 graduate of Notre Dame University degree in Theatrical Arts

Mother Theresa Ann Gallagher

Home address: 666 Bible Camp Drive, Poughkeepsie, NY

Pet cat named Superstar

Easy to Remember Passwords

Passwords are like the keys to your house—they protect your important things. But what if a stranger knew a lot about you and could guess your key? Hackers use your personal information, sometimes from places like the internet or social media, to guess passwords and break into your accounts. Today I will demonstrate why this is important. Here are five potential easy passwords using Mary Katherine’s information.

MKGallagher2001#

GallagherSuperstar666#

2001StMonica#

666BibleCamp#

NotreDame2005#

What do you think? I used upper- and lower-case letters, numbers, and special characters. In addition, these passwords are long enough to meet the requirements for most sites. Let’s take a deeper dive into my mistakes. Better yet, this button links to a secure site to evaluate your password strength.

The Hidden Dangers of Publicly Available Data

 How Hackers Use Your Personal Information

Mary Katherine’s password was just one piece of a puzzle. Hackers can combine information from various sources to create a more complete picture of her life just as I did. In addition, hackers search public records for birthdays, anniversaries, and other numbers often used for passwords. For example, if they know your birthdate from a public record, they can try passwords like “birthday1987” or “1987birthday” works for Mary Katherine.

The Power of Social Media

Social media platforms are a goldmine for hackers. By analyzing your posts, photos, and likes, they can gather clues about your interests, hobbies, and even your favorite places.  The term “superstar” is an easy guess for Ms. Gallagher. For instance, if you frequently post pictures of your cat, a hacker might try using your cat’s name or breed in your password.

The Dark Web: A Playground for Hackers

The dark web, a hidden part of the internet, is a popular place for hackers to buy and sell stolen data. This includes passwords, credit card numbers, and other personal information. Hackers can use this data to gain access to your accounts and commit identity theft.

The threats are real and expanding as artificial AI and chatbots proliferate. The password strategies of a year ago are no longer adequate with all the threats that exist today. I strongly encourage to you update all of your passwords and unsubscribe to sites you are not using.  Here are five new passwords created by an AI Chatbot using Mary Katherine’s data.

Here’s the thought process used to create the five passwords:

1. Mixing Familiar Names and Dates:
   • I selected memorable names and important years (graduation dates) from the content. Personal names and key dates often create passwords that are easier for you to recall.
   • For example, “MaryKat@2001HS!” is derived from “Mary Katherine Gallagher” and her 2001 high school graduation date. I abbreviated the first name, added part of the year, and used “HS” for high school to make it easy to remember.
2. Incorporating Special Characters for Complexity:
   • I added special characters like @, !, and # in places where it made sense to ensure password complexity. I chose characters that are common but still effective in enhancing security.
3. Capitalization for Variation:
   • Capitalizing certain letters such as the first letter of names or important words improves password strength while retaining readability. This approach allows easy recognition while meeting security standards.
4. Using Symbolism and Context:
   • For “SuperStar666!”, I focused on the phrase “Superstar” (likely something meaningful to you based on the content) and added “666” to match the reference to Bible Camp Drive.
5. Combining Multiple Elements:
   • “PatriciaM2005#” draws from “Sister Patricia Michael” and her 2005 graduation from Notre Dame University. Abbreviating her name and adding the date with a special character keeps it familiar but secure.
6. Simple, Recognizable Patterns:
   • I maintained simple patterns where possible, such as alternating numbers and special characters, which are both familiar and easy to remember. For example, “TheresaAnn05#@” combines a name, a graduation date (2005), and special characters in a clear, memorable way.

The goal was to create passwords that are secure but also easy for you to recall, leveraging significant personal names, dates, and recognizable elements from the content.

Take it to the Next Level

Here’s how you can take personal information and turn it into strong, memorable passwords using a mix of upper/lower case letters, numbers, and special characters:

1. Mary Katherine Gallagher

1. • Password: M@ryK@tG#2024!

Logic: We took the name Mary Katherine Gallagher, replaced “a” with “@”, used uppercase for initials, added a memorable number like the current year, and finished with an exclamation point for extra strength.

2. 2001 graduate of Saint Monica High School

1. • Password: Gr@dStM0n!c@2001

Logic: This uses “Grad” for graduate, replaces letters like “a” with “@”, and incorporates the year “2001” to make it easier to remember but still strong.

3. Sister Patricia Michael

1. • Password: S!sPatr!c!@123

Logic: “Sis” stands for Sister, replaced some “i”s with “!”, and added a memorable sequence of numbers like 123.

4. 2005 graduate of Notre Dame University degree in Theatrical Arts

1. • Password: N0treD@m3TA#2005

Logic: Uses “NotreDame” and “TA” for Theatrical Arts, replaces “o” with zero “0”, and includes the year 2005.

5. Mother Theresa Ann Gallagher

1. • Password: Th3r3s@Gall2024!

Logic: “Theresa” is replaced with “Th3r3s@”, using numbers and symbols for letters, and includes the current year with an exclamation point to strengthen it.

Last Word on Cyber Crimes

My hope is this funny exercise will not diminish how serious this issue is today. Remember that your personal data is  valuable, that is why criminals work hard to steal it. Immunize yourself against these crimes by hardening your defenses. Hazard yet forward.