May 11, 2021

Hacking into the Mainframe


Hacking into the Mainframe
"I'm in." The RussianLife files

If the passcode to your most secure online information is something along the lines of "password," "12345," or "RussianLifeRocks," you're not alone (especially for that last one). A recent study by Russia's National Payment Card System (NPCS) reveals that less than a third of Russians take adequate care with their internet security.

According to the data, not even 28% of Russian internet users have different passwords for each site (Not gonna lie, we're pretty impressed). 17% use the same password on multiple sites. 49% use difficult passwords, 44% medium, and (fortunately) only 1% use simple passwords.

Reportedly, 76% of Russians remember passwords off the top of their heads (also impressive!). 38% use autosave functions in their browsers, and 12% use apps or programs to save their passwords. Nearly a third go old-school, opting for sticky notes or other paper methods.

The head of the NPCS comments that, of course, the strongest passwords are random combinations of characters. The drawback being that they're tough to remember.

But that doesn't mean computer security isn't important. After all, Russian cyber stuff is pretty spooky.

You Might Also Like

Just Ten More Minutes
  • March 02, 2021

Just Ten More Minutes

A Russian gamer was forced to forfeit a cash prize of $16,000 after his dad turned off the internet.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

At the Circus
January 01, 2013

At the Circus

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.

A Taste of Chekhov
December 24, 2022

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.

Marooned in Moscow
May 01, 2011

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.

The Samovar Murders
November 01, 2019

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.

Driving Down Russia's Spine
June 01, 2016

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 

Moscow and Muscovites
November 26, 2013

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955