Five Tips for Creating Strong Passwords
You can do so much better than Password123.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, so much of our lives have shifted online, so it’s more important now than ever before to take the necessary steps to keep your information safe.
From digital natives to reluctant tech adapters, creating strong passwords is one of the most important things you can do to protect your finances. Here are five tips for what you can do to create a strong password:
1. Make it longer and more memorable
Making your password more memorable might seem counterintuitive, but a longer password or a passphrase can make it much more difficult for a hacker to get access to your accounts. Plus, it’s easier to remember a phrase than a random jumble of numbers and letters.
2. Avoid using personal info or common words
If someone is trying to hack into your accounts, it’s likely they will try to guess your password using information about you that’s easy to find online. Avoid using your pet’s name, the name of your street, or any important dates. Additionally, common words or patterns should be avoided. For example, “Password123” or “ilovemydog” should not be used.
3. Use a mix of numbers, letters, and symbols
…Or should we say Numb3rs, le+ters, @nd $ymb0ls. Mixing up your use of characters in your password can help keep hackers guessing (and guessing and guessing…) so your accounts remain secure.
4. Be ready to change your password if needed
Experts are now saying it’s not necessary to change your password regularly because it results in many people resorting back to old, easy-to-remember (and easy-to-guess) passwords. Instead, it’s best to just make a super secure password – but be ready to quickly change it if unusual activity is detected on your account!
5. Don't use the same password for multiple accounts
We have passwords for just about everything, and it might seem like too much work to have a unique password for all your online accounts. But if you reuse your passwords across multiple accounts, they will all be at risk if just one is hacked. If you have trouble remembering all your unique passwords, try using a trusted password management program.