Why is reusing the same password across services so dangerous — and what makes your email account a special target?

One breached service exposes every other account sharing that password, and your inbox is the master key that can reset all the rest.

Two compounding problems:

1. Reuse → credential stuffing. When one service is breached, attackers take the leaked email+password pairs and try them everywhere else. If you reused the password, every one of those accounts falls.
2. Email as the skeleton key. Once an attacker controls your mailbox, they can trigger "forgot password" resets on your other services — the reset links land in the inbox they now own.

Why passwords are the weak link generally: humans are bad at generating randomness and bad at remembering many strong secrets, so they reuse and simplify — exactly the wrong instincts.

Tip: Protect the email account hardest (unique password + MFA) — it's the recovery anchor for everything else. Check exposure at haveibeenpwned.com.