Length and uniqueness are crucial
Use a long password for suchen.expert that you do not use for any other service. Length and uniqueness provide better protection than a short password that merely appears complex because it uses predictable uppercase letters, numbers and special characters.
If the input form allows it, use at least 15 characters where possible. A password may be longer, provided that it meets the technical requirements displayed. Further guidance can be found in the BSI recommendations on account security.
Create a memorable password
If you create the password yourself, a long passphrase made up of several randomly chosen, unrelated words is suitable. Do not use a familiar saying, a quotation, song lyrics or an easily guessed sentence.
Numbers and special characters can make a password stronger if they are not used in a predictable pattern. Merely replacing ‘a’ with ‘@’, or appending a year or an exclamation mark, does not make a familiar word secure.
Avoid personal and easily guessed information
Do not use information that other people know or can discover publicly. This includes in particular:
- your first name and surname,
- your profile name or email address,
- your date of birth or years,
- the names of relatives or pets,
- your address, telephone number or vehicle registration number,
- a company name or product name,
- terms such as ‘search’, ‘password’ or ‘login’,
- simple sequences such as ‘123456’, ‘abcdef’ or keyboard patterns.
Also avoid commonly used passwords and variants in which only a number or special character has been added.
Use a separate password for every account
The password for suchen.expert must not be the same as the password for your email account, Google account, online banking or any other service. If another service is compromised, attackers often try stolen sign-in details on other platforms as well.
If you have already reused the same password, replace it with a password unique to each affected service. Start with the email account because recovery messages are often received there.
Use a password manager
A reputable, up-to-date password manager can generate long, random and unique passwords and store them in encrypted form. This means that you do not have to remember a separate password for every service.
Protect the password manager with a long master passphrase used only for that purpose. Enable additional authentication if the password manager offers it, and keep recovery information secure and separate.
Do not store passwords unencrypted in notes, spreadsheets, emails or chat messages. Use autofill only on trusted devices, and check the web address before signing in.
Do not change a password routinely
A strong password used for only one account does not need to be changed regularly solely because of a fixed calendar schedule. Frequent mandatory changes often lead to easily predictable variants, such as an incremented number.
However, change the password immediately if:
- you suspect unauthorised access,
- the password was disclosed accidentally,
- a device that you used has been lost or may have been compromised,
- a password manager or browser reports a known data breach,
- you used the same password at another affected service,
- suchen.expert asks you to change it in the official account area for a specific security reason.
After changing the password, do not use a slightly modified version of the old one.
Check data-breach warnings safely
Modern browsers and password managers may indicate that stored sign-in details have appeared in known data breaches. Reputable notification services may also use an email address to provide information about known incidents.
Never enter your actual password on a third-party website that claims to check its security or whether it has appeared in a data breach. A password-strength test outside the official input form may itself disclose the password. If in doubt, change it directly through suchen.expert and use a completely new string of characters.
Further guidance can be found in the article Why is checking password security important?
Use additional security features
If suchen.expert offers multi-factor authentication or passkeys in future, you can enable them for additional protection. This recommendation does not mean that these features are currently available for every account.
Use multi-factor authentication now for the associated email account, your Google account and the password manager, provided that the relevant provider supports it. Passkeys can partly replace passwords and make phishing more difficult. You must still protect the device and account where the passkey is stored.
Keep recovery codes secure. Do not send them in a message or store them without protection alongside the password.
Never share passwords, links or codes
Do not share your password with other users or with anyone claiming to be support. Support does not need your password. Do not share activation or reset links, PINs, TANs or one-time verification codes either.
Enter the password only on the official website and in the designated sign-in or password-change form. If in doubt, open suchen.expert manually in your browser instead of following an unexpected link in a message.
Never publish passwords or recovery information in your profile, a listing or a screenshot.
Signing in with Google
If your personal account was registered and activated through Google, you may not use a separate suchen.expert password. In that case, protect the associated Google account with a unique password and additional authentication.
Change the Google password only through Google’s official pages or official app. suchen.expert needs neither your Google password nor a Google verification code.
Protect sign-in details for a business account
For a business account, sign-in details may be used only by appropriately authorised persons. Do not send a shared password openly within the company or pass it on to former employees or external parties.
If the group of authorised persons changes, review access and change the password if a previously authorised person is no longer permitted to use it. Use a trusted device for this, and inform support if you suspect misuse.
If you suspect unauthorised access
Act from a trusted device:
1. First, secure the linked email or Google account.
2. Change the suchen.expert password using the official option.
3. Replace a reused password at all other affected services as well.
4. End unrecognised or no-longer-needed sessions if an appropriate option is provided.
5. Check profile details, listings and messages for unauthorised changes.
6. Inform suchen.expert using the contact form.
If you no longer know the previous password, follow How do I reset my password?
Tell support the account type, the registered email address, the approximate time of the suspicious activity and the changes identified. Do not send a password, a full recovery link or security codes. Further information about the handling of account and security data can be found in the Privacy Policy.
