all-in-one privacy solution":["Proton Unlimited es una solución de privacidad todo en uno"],"Black Friday":["Black Friday"],"No ads. Privacy by default.":["Sin anuncios. Privacidad por defecto."],"People before profits":["Primero las personas, luego los beneficios"],"Security through transparency":["Seguridad con transparencia"],"The best Proton Mail ${ BLACK_FRIDAY } deals":["Las mejores ofertas de Proton Mail en el ${ BLACK_FRIDAY }"],"The world’s only community- supported email service":["El único servicio de correo electrónico del mundo respaldado por la comunidad"]},"specialoffer:limited":{"${ hours } hour":["${ hours } hora","${ hours } horas"],"${ hoursLeft }, ${ minutesLeft } and ${ secondsLeft } left":["Tiempo restante: ${ hoursLeft }, ${ minutesLeft } y ${ secondsLeft }"],"${ minutes } minute":["${ minutes } minuto","${ minutes } minutos"],"${ seconds } second":["${ seconds } segundo","${ seconds } segundos"],"Limited time offer":["Oferta por tiempo limitado"]},"specialoffer:listitem":{"Create multiple addresses":["Cree múltiples direcciones"],"Hide-my-email aliases":["Seudónimos de hide-my-email"],"Quickly unsubscribe from newsletters":["Cancele suscripciones a boletines rápidamente"],"Use your own domain name":["Use su propio dominio"]},"specialoffer:logos":{"As featured in":["Tal como aparece en"]},"specialoffer:metadescription":{"Get an encrypted email that protects your privacy":["Obtenga un correo electrónico cifrado que protege su privacidad"]},"specialoffer:metatitle":{"Proton Mail Black Friday Sale - Up to 40% off":["Oferta de Black Friday de Proton Mail: hasta un 40% de descuento"]},"specialoffer:newmetadescription":{"Get up to 40% off Proton Mail subscriptions this Black Friday. Find great deals on our secure end-to-end encrypted email plans.":["Aproveche las rebajas de Black Friday y obtenga suscripciones de Proton Mail con hasta un 40 % de descuento. Encontrará las mejores ofertas en planes de correo electrónico seguro cifrado de extremo a extremo."]},"specialoffer:newmetatitle":{"Proton Mail Black Friday sale | Up to 40% off secure email":["Rebajas de Black Friday en Proton Mail | Hasta un 40 % de descuento en correo electrónico seguro"]},"specialoffer:note":{"* Billed at ${ TOTAL_SUM } for the first year":["*Con un costo de ${ TOTAL_SUM } durante el primer año"],"*Billed at ${ TOTAL_SUM } for the first 2 years":["*Con un costo de ${ TOTAL_SUM } durante los primeros 2 años"],"30-day money-back guarantee":["Garantía de devolución de dinero de 30 días"],"Billed at ${ TOTAL_SUM } for the first 2 years":["Con un costo de ${ TOTAL_SUM } durante los primeros 2 años"],"Billed at ${ TOTAL_SUM } for the first year":["Con un costo de ${ TOTAL_SUM } durante el primer año"],"You save ${ SAVE_SUM }":["Ahorre ${ SAVE_SUM }"]},"specialoffer:off":{"${ DISCOUNT } off":["-${ DISCOUNT }"],"${ PERCENT_OFF } off":["-${ PERCENT_OFF }"]},"specialoffer:testimonial":{"I love my ProtonMail":["Amo mi Proton Mail"],"My favorite email service":["Mi servicio de correo electrónico favorito"],"Thanks Proton for keeping us all safe in the complicated internet universe.":["Gracias Proton por mantenernos a salvo en el complicado universo de Internet."],"You get what you pay for. In the case of big tech, if you pay nothing, you get used. I quit using Gmail and switched to @ProtonMail":["Obtiene aquello por lo que paga. En el caso de la gran tecnología, cuando uno no paga nada, se acostumbra. Dejé de usar Gmail y cambié a @ProtonMail"]},"specialoffer:time":{"Days":["Días"],"Hours":["Horas"],"Min":["min"]},"specialoffer:title":{"And much more":["Y mucho más"],"Make your inbox yours":["Personalice su bandeja de entrada"],"Safe from trackers":["A salvo de rastreadores"],"Stay organized":["Mantenga el orden"],"Black Friday email deals":["Ofertas en correo electrónico del Black Friday"],"Don’t just take our word for it":["No confíe solo en nuestra palabra"],"Our story":["Nuestra historia"],"Transfer your data from Google in one click":["Transfiera sus datos de Google con un solo clic"]},"specialoffer:tooltip":{"Access blocked content and browse privately. Includes ${ TOTAL_SERVERS }+ servers in ${ TOTAL_COUNTRIES }+ countries, connect up to 10 devices, access worldwide streaming services, malware and ad-blocker, and more.":["Acceda a contenido bloqueado y navegue de forma privada. Incluye ${ TOTAL_SERVERS } servidores en más de ${ TOTAL_COUNTRIES } países, conecta hasta 10 dispositivos, acceda a servicios de transmisión en todo el mundo, malware y bloqueador de anuncios, y más."],"Easily share your calendar with your family, friends or colleagues, and view external calendars.":["Comparta su calendario con familiares, amigos y compañeros fácilmente y consulte calendarios externos."],"Includes support for 1 custom email domain, 10 email addresses, 10 hide-my-email aliases, calendar sharing, and more.":["Incluye compatibilidad con 1 dominio de correo electrónico personalizado, 10 direcciones de correo electrónico, 10 seudónimos de hide-my-email, posibilidad de compartir calendario, etc."],"Includes support for 3 custom email domains, 15 email addresses, unlimited hide-my-email aliases, calendar sharing, and more.":["Incluye compatibilidad con 3 dominios de correo electrónico personalizado, 15 direcciones de correo electrónico, seudónimos ilimitados de hide-my-email, posibilidad de compartir calendario, etc."],"Manage up to 25 calendars, mobile apps, secured with end-to-end encryption, 1-click calendar import from Google, and more.":["Administre hasta 25 calendarios, apps móviles, protegido con cifrado de extremo a extremo, importación de calendario con 1 clic desde Google y más."]},"Status Banner":{"At the moment we are experiencing issues with the Proton VPN service":["En este momento, tenemos problemas con el servicio Proton VPN."],"Learn more":["Más información"]},"Status banner":{"Learn more":["Más información"],"Please note that at the moment we are experiencing issues with the ${ issues[0] } service.":["Tenga en cuenta que, en este momento, estamos experimentando problemas con el servicio ${ issues[0] }."],"We are experiencing issues with one or more services at the moment.":["En este momento, tenemos problemas con uno o más servicios."]},"suggestions":{"Suggestions":["Sugerencias"]},"Support":{"Sub category":["Subacategoria","Subcategorías"]},"Support article":{"${ readingTime } min":["${ readingTime } minuto","${ readingTime } minutos"],"Category":["Categoría","Categorías"],"Didn’t find what you were looking for?":["¿No encontró lo que buscaba?"],"General contact":["Contacto general"],"Get help":["Obtener ayuda"],"Legal contact":["Contacto legal"],"Media contact":["Contacto para medios"],"Partnerships contact":["Contacto para colaboradores"],"Reading":["Lectura"]},"Support categories":{"Browse Proton product support":["Explore el soporte de productos de Proton"]},"Support category":{"There is no article in this category yet.":["Todavía no hay ningún artículo en esta categoría."]},"Support troubleshooting":{"--- Select ---":["--- Seleccionar ---"],"App version":["Versión de la app"],"Browser":["Navegador"],"Check if this helps":["Compruebe si le sirve"],"Choose a category for your question":["Elija la categoría de su pregunta"],"Choose a product":["Elija un producto"],"Did this solve your issue ?":["¿Resolvió su problema?"],"Faster assistance is just a few clicks away — please make your selections":["Obtenga ayuda más rápidamente con tan solo unos clics. Haga su selección."],"No, contact support":["No, contactar a soporte"],"Proton account":["Cuenta de Proton"],"Proton Bridge":["Proton Bridge"],"Proton Calendar":["Calendario de Proton"],"Proton Drive":["Proton Drive"],"Proton for Business":["Proton for Business"],"Proton Mail":["Correo de Proton"],"Proton Pass":["Proton Pass"],"Proton VPN":["VPN de Proton"],"Thank you for your feedback":["Gracias por sus comentarios"],"Troubleshooting":["Solución de problemas"],"What can we help with ?":["¿En qué podemos ayudar?"],"Yes":["Sí"]},"support_modal_search_query":{"Search query":["Consulta"]},"support_search_button":{"Search":["Buscar"]},"support_search_i_am_looking_for":{"I'm looking for":["Busco"]},"SupportForm":{"For a faster resolution, please report the issue from the Bridge app: Help > Report a problem.":["Para una resolución más rápida, reporte el problema desde la app Bridge: Ayuda > Reportar un problema."],"Information":["Información"]},"SupportForm:option":{"Account Security":["Seguridad de la cuenta"],"Contacts":["Contactos"],"Custom email domain":["Dominio de correo electrónico personalizado"],"Email delivery and Spam":["Entrega de correo electrónico y spam"],"Encryption":["Cifrado"],"Login and password":["Inicio de sesión y contraseña"],"Merge aliases and accounts":["Combinar alias y cuentas"],"Migrate to Proton":["Migrar a Proton"],"Notifications":["Notificaciones"],"Other":["Otros"],"Plans and billing":["Planes y facturación"],"Proton for Business":["Proton for Business"],"Sign up":["Regístrese"],"Storage":["Almacenamiento"],"Users, addresses, and identities":["Usuarios, direcciones e identidades"]},"SupportForm:optionIntro":{"Select a topic":["Seleccione un tema"]},"swiss_baseed_feature":{"Swiss based":["Con sede en Suiza"]},"Testimonial":{"Awards":["Premios"],"Customers":["Clientes"],"Featured":["Destacados"],"Go to testimonial source":["Ir a la fuente testimonial"],"Reviews":["Reseñas"],"Videos":["Videos"]},"Text":{"Find the plan that's right for you":["Encuentre el plan adecuado para usted"],"If you need help, check out our ${ supportLink }.":["Si necesita ayuda, consulte nuestra ${ supportLink }."],"The page you’re looking for might have been removed, or it could be an\nold link.":["Es posible que la página que busca haya sido eliminada o que sea un\nenlace antiguo."]},"Title":{"On this page":["En esta página"],"Related articles":["Artículos relacionados"],"Share ${ thisPage }":["Compartir ${ thisPage }"],"Thank you!":["¡Gracias!"],"this page":["esta página"]},"Tooltip":{"More information":["Más información"]},"tooltip_calendar":{"Create up to 20 custom & shareable encrypted calendars. On top of that, add up to 5 calendars from friends, family, colleagues, and organizations.":["Cree hasta 20 calendarios personalizados, compartibles y cifrados. Agregue hasta 5 calendarios de amigos, familiares, colegas y organizaciones."]},"tooltip_vpn":{"Access blocked content and browse privately. Includes ${ TOTAL_SERVERS }+ servers in ${ TOTAL_COUNTRIES }+ countries, highest VPN speed, ${ TOTAL_VPN_CONNECTIONS } VPN connections, worldwide streaming services, malware and ad-blocker, and more.":["Acceda a contenido bloqueado y navegue en privado. Tendrá a su disposición más de ${ TOTAL_SERVERS } servidores en más de ${ TOTAL_COUNTRIES } países, VPN de máxima velocidad, ${ TOTAL_VPN_CONNECTIONS } conexiones VPN, servicios de streaming en todo el mundo, bloqueadores de malware y de anuncios, y mucho más."],"Access blocked content and browse privately. Includes ${ TOTAL_SERVERS }+ servers in ${ TOTAL_COUNTRIES }+ countries, highest VPN speed, 10 VPN connections, worldwide streaming services, malware and ad-blocker, and more.":["Acceda a contenido bloqueado y navegue en privado. Tendrá a su disposición más de ${ TOTAL_SERVERS } servidores en más de ${ TOTAL_COUNTRIES } países, VPN de máxima velocidad, 10 conexiones VPN, servicios de streaming en todo el mundo, bloqueadores de malware y de anuncios, y mucho más."]},"version_history_label":{"Version history":["Historial de versiones"]},"version_history_tooltip":{"Store up to ${ versionHistoryNumber } versions of each file for up to ${ years } years":["Comparta hasta ${ versionHistoryNumber } versiones de cada archivo hasta durante ${ years } años"]},"vpn_features_link":{"View VPN plans":["Ver planes de VPN"]},"vpn_features_useCase":{"Access blocked content and browse privately":["Acceda a contenido bloqueado y navegue de forma privada"]}}},"unleashApi":"https://account.proton.me/api"};
// We need to import data (the framework context) from the server
// This Astro feature with define:vars works well but creates an inline script
// So we can't directly import the initFramework helper, we have to store the context
window.frameworkContext = frameworkContext;
})();
What is a safe username, and how do you make one? | Proton
If you take your online safety seriously, you know you need to create a strong password to protect your online accounts. However, do you take the same care for your accounts’ usernames? In this article we go over why you should, and what is a safe username.
The short version is that using a generic username, like one based on your real name, can make it easier for cybercriminals to target you. Creating secure usernames means you have an extra layer of defense against attackers, with password managers as the best way to create and store them. Let’s go into the details a little, starting with what a username even is.
You probably know a username as the field above where your password goes when you access a site. The best way to think of it is as an identifier, like your real-world name, with your password serving as the proof that you are who you claim you are.
On many sites, your username is your email address, though some will let you choose your own, too, especially on forums or other sites where you can leave comments. Often enough, people will use their own name as a username. So take, for example, something like JaneSmith. If there already is a Jane Smith using the site, they’ll add a year of birth or a location, so JaneSmith77 or JaneSmithNYC or maybe even both, so JaneSmith77NYC.
Usernames like this are easy to remember — it’s not likely you’ll forget your name, birthdate, or the state you live in — and if your username also shows up on any posts you make, you get the added benefit of a username that’s easily recognizable.
Common username security problems
As nice as usernames like this are, though, they come with some serious security issues. As we mentioned, usernames are an integral part of your security credentials. If an attacker knows your username, they know half your login information. If you have a username that’s obvious or easy to guess, then you’re giving up a good chunk of your security.
Even worse is when people reuse their usernames — which includes always using the same email address for all their accounts. If you use JaneSmith once, that’s not great, but not life threatening. However, if you use it for every site you create an account for, you’re making yourself predictable, and predictability is what makes life easy for a cybercriminal.
Some sites will try and fix these issues by having you add numbers or special characters, but they may not negate the damage; they may even make things worse. For example, if you use your birth year or location, then you’re actually giving away extra information about yourself.
For example, many sites still use recovery questions in case you lose your password. These questions make use of personal information to make sure you are who you claim to be, like the name of your pet, or the name of the street you grew up on. By putting information in your username, you may inadvertently give away answers to those security questions, making it easy for an attacker to use them to gain access to your account.
Finally, you should probably be aware that usernames and emails are a great way for marketers to track you. By matching usernames across different services, marketers and other snoops can very easily build a profile of who you are and what you like. Denying them access to this is surprisingly easy, though, so let’s take a look at how we can do that.
What makes a good username?
Now that we know their weaknesses, let’s see how you can create a secure username. However, there are several types of username. One important category is sites that use them as a way to identify your profile publicly, such as forums or sites like Reddit. In these cases, you want something secure (without personal identifiers), but also memorable for both yourself and whoever is reading the posts.
On top of that, you likely want something funny to set yourself apart. We can’t give you advice on humor, but we will tell you this: never use a username more than once. So if on Reddit your handle is ProtonLover, you shouldn’t use it anywhere else.
Things are a bit simpler if you’re making a username for an account you’ll never post with, like a shopping site or a magazine. In this case, you may as well create something random along the lines of creating a strong password. You could use a lot of special characters and random capitalization, so something like ZT5*.nXq7A4+zwdf.
Though a strong username like this is hard to create and remember for humans, using a password manager will solve that issue. In fact, a good password manager can fix practically all username issues. Let’s take a closer look at them.
How password managers help with strong usernames
A password manager is a program that runs either on your device or in a browser and remembers and automatically fills out your login credentials for you. They can also create random passwords and usernames if you want, making them a great solution if you want to take the next step in taking charge of your online security.
Next time you create a new login, have the password manager randomly generate a username by copy pasting the random password it gives you, then have it generate a new random password for the password field, save the new login, and you’re done. It’s that simple.
The above can be done by pretty much any decent password manager, even the mediocre versions that have been built into Chrome and Firefox. However, Proton’s password manager, Proton Pass, has one trick up its sleeve that will solve the username problem once and for all.
Keeping your email address private
When creating a new login for a site or service, you don’t actually create a username all that often. In most cases, you sign in with your email address instead. Again, great to remember, but probably the most predictable piece of data out there as it never, ever changes. Even if you use a dedicated email only for logins, unless you create a new one each time, it’s still predictable.
Proton Pass has solved this issue with hide-my-email aliases. Instead of entering your email address, Proton Pass will enter a replacement that forwards incoming mail to your real address. This is handy if you want to protect your privacy from the service you’re using, but it’s even better if you want to throw off would-be cybercriminals as you can supply email aliases and thus keep your logins unpredictable.
Creating an alias is as simple as clicking a button, as Proton Pass will prompt you any time you create a login to use one. If you have the Proton Pass Free plan, you get 10 hide-my-email aliases, while Plus accounts get an unlimited number.
Smart use of hide-my-email aliases and random usernames, as well as using random passwords and passphrases, will keep your logins safe. With Proton Pass to remember them, you’ll never have to worry about losing them, either.
Hide-my-email aliases are a unique feature, and just one more way in which Proton distinguishes itself from Big Tech’s software. As a company founded by scientists who met at CERN with the express purpose of creating a better and more private internet, Proton Pass and aliases are but one way in which we can help keep your data private.
Compromised passwords are a common issue and probably one of the biggest
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