Use these password tips and tricks for extra security.
Strong passwords are imperative to keeping both your personal and business information safe. Password cracking is the most common way hackers are able to steal your information. Two out of five people have had their accounts hacked in the past year. Creating a strong password is a must to help prevent these cyber-attacks. Here are three password tips and tricks to help safeguard your accounts.
Three Qualities of a Strong Password
- Words, not gibberish. A nonsense password, such CX(@#$), might seem like a good password, but it has some significant drawbacks. First, it’s hard to remember, which means more password reset requests. If that’s you, you may be tempted to write it down somewhere, increasing the risk of someone else finding it. In addition, it’s shorter than a password composed of words. So, if a hacker is using a computer to try every single combination of characters, it may be easier to come across.
- No personal information. Our second tip to creating a strong password is to leave out any personal information. It may seem fun to use something like a child or pet’s name, street name or even favorite flavor of ice cream, but if it’s something you’ve ever mentioned on social media or in an email, it’s a bad choice for a password. It’s also good to avoid commonly-used phrases that might give away the rest of your password, such as ‘an apple a day.’ To create a secure passphrase, pick something that is three to five words long with words that aren’t commonly used together, such as ‘BlueKnowsRocks’ or ‘AccountingMondayRain.’ It might seem silly, but the more characters your password contains, the longer it will take a hacker to crack.
- Unique passwords for every account. Everyone is guilty of this to some extent, but it is still an important habit to break. It’s very common for hackers who have breached an account to try the same password and username all over the internet to see what else they can gain access to. Imagine your Facebook®account gets hacked and you have the same password for your Amazon®account, which holds credit card information. By cracking just one password, the hacker has gained access to many accounts. This password tip is especially important for email. If someone hacks into your email, this allows them to send password reset requests for almost every site you visit and lock you out of your own accounts.
Protect your information by creating a strong password.
When choosing or changing passwords, keep these three passwords tips and tricks in mind to help keep safeguard your online personal information. And, remember, once you have generated your password, be sure to protect it with care.
