For example, 2516 Gawker account holders used "123456" as a password, while another 2188 used "password" for a password. You get the idea. Ideally passwords should contain a mix of upper- and lower-case letters, numbers and keyboard characters, such as # or ^. (Gawker as helpful list of FAQs after the attack.)

Lesson Three: Once you hear about a break-in, check to see if you're using that password and username on multiple sites.

If you are, change them. Here is a that will tell you if your password was posted. Gawker sites include, Gawker.com, Fleshbot, Deadspin, Lifehacker, Gizmodo, io9, Kotaku, Jalopnik, and Jezebel.

Lesson Four: If you use online bill pay, or buy stuff on the Web, check your bank and credit card statements frequently.

If your password info is hacked and matched to a shopping or financial site, you may have some big charges before you know it. While it's true that some of the larger credit cards providers will notice a large purchase or cash withdrawal that seems out of the ordinary and notify you, not all do that. What's more, smaller purchases or cash withdrawals are easy to miss, but can add up. Some clown once charged $3.00 at a convenience store using one of my credit cards, but luckily the bank noticed it and changed my account number before he could buy something bigger.