What is an account and why is it needed? How are accounts created and how to protect them?

In this article, we will talk about what an account is and why it is required.

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Today you can hear the word "account" everywhere. Yes, indeed, we use it quite often, but we don’t even think about the meaning.

What is an account?

The word "account" was first used in English, and when it appeared the Internet did not even exist. It has different values, but the exact translation makes little understanding and additional explanations are required. In Russian speech, this term is used only in the IT field and says this: about this:

The account is the personal data of the user contained in the computer in a special database. In addition, they can be contained on the server, site, and so on, designed to identify one or another user.

Information in accounts can be divided into two types:

Unique - is different for each user within the same system (login, phone, mail)
Not unique - may coincide with different users (names, date of birth, interests)

Users in the system are identified exclusively on unique information, so they must be created, and in the future you can change. Although, on some sites it is very difficult to do. All data that are not related to unique can be changed quickly and without problems. Each site may differ and depend on the orientation, but the name and password are necessarily present.

What data must be indicated for any account?

Username

It is a unique user name used to identify it. It can be public and everything can see it to understand where and which user is.

Password

This set of characters is required to enter the system. Thus, the user confirms that the account belongs to him. The password is always secret and inaccessible to third parties. If the service has increased safety, then the password is encrypted so that even no program has calculated it, and even more so administrators and ordinary users.

Very often mandatory information is email. It can be used as a login or just contact, for example, to get news and restore password.

Depending on the service, mandatory information may vary.

Why create an account?

As a rule, no accounts are required to work on the Internet, but this is the only method to make communication more understandable, that is, personal. For example, you can watch different sites without registration, but to write a comment, purchases in the store and so on, you need to create an account.

The identification of users on sites is very convenient for both the resources themselves and for ordinary visitors to the site. But why do you need an account?

The use of basic or additional opportunities. For example, personal information is needed to enter the Internet bank or electronic wallet. Without it, it would be impossible to determine who and in which account enters. Imagine if you can go to any person and take his money?
Limiting access to personal information. If this had not been, then the secret of correspondence would not even be preserved. Everyone could see your letters and read them.
Everyone could receive personal information and analytics. Then one could find out who and what resources owns, what is their attendance and so on.
The account allows you to work with the system for a long time and not interrupt. For example, you can once install telegrams on a computer, enter it and no longer go out.
You can control the settings of each of your devices remotely. For example, a Google account connected to a smartphone allows you to control applications through a special store and not download it, and then transfer it to the computer.

How to create an Internet account?

Creating accounts is possible in two ways that depend on service policy.

Registration can be independent when the user himself indicates information about himself and gains access to resources.
The second type of registration is closed. In this case, only administrators create accounts for users. This applies to online banking, tax services and so on.

Account registration through social networks

Today, working with various sites becomes easier due to the emergence of the possibility of registration through social networks. Almost all Internet users have a page on some social network, and therefore registration with its help is very convenient.

For registration, just press the social network icon and allow access to it. This will allow the system to copy information about the user and it will not have to be entered independently.

How to protect your hacking account?

There is one very big problem in the modern Internet - accounts are often hacked. As a rule, this is due to poor protection of the site or easy password, as well as other factors. In any case, users lose access not only to their data, but even money. In social networks, hacking is often carried out with the aim of extortion, when scammers write to friends and ask for money. Electronic wallets are hacked extremely rarely due to high protection, but this is also possible. If you are hacked, then you will lose all the money.

To protect yourself from hacking, you need to follow some simple rules:

Use complex passwords. Do not use any personal information in them, alternate letters and numbers and so on. The smallest length should not be less than 8 characters.
In each service, create a new password. This will save everything if one is hacked.
Try to change passwords from time to time. At least once a month.
Do not store passwords where everyone sees them. That is, do not stick stickers on the computer. It is better to download a special program that will keep all the information secret.
Use actual antivirus and constantly check the computer for viruses.
Do not enter personal data on suspicious sites. Often, attackers create copies of resources similar to real ones.
Do not tell anyone and under any circumstances your data for the entrance.
For financial and other serious resources, always indicate reliable information so that you can restore access to the passport.