HOW TO MAKE A STRONG PASSWORD
NO PERSONAL INFO
It may be easy for you to remember, but your child’s birthday should never be part of your password. Including personal details like important dates, names of loved ones or significant places can make your password very easy to guess.
MIX IT UP!
Always use a combination of letters (both uppercase and lowercase), numbers and symbols. If your password contains a word, use symbols and numbers to break it up. Example Time: instead of the word Love you could use L0ve or Lov3.
WHY USE A PASSWORD WHEN YOU COULD USE A PASSPHRASE?
You can create a nice, long password that’s complex and easy for you to remember. Just think of a phrase you can remember, add in some numbers and letters and you’re all set! Let’s say you really like horses, your passphrase could be something like “H0rsesR$weet!”
2 STEPS ARE BETTER THAN ONE
Whenever you have the option, you should enable two-step authentication. This feature is increasingly widespread so be sure to use it whenever you can. If someone manages to get your password, they will still have to break through a second layer of security to gain access to your accounts and information.
NO FULL WORDS OR NUMBER SEQUENCES
Don’t include full words in any language or you might be the victim of a dictionary, brute-force or other similar method of attack. Don’t use number sequences such as 12345 because…well it’s easy to guess.
THE MORE CHARACTERS, THE MERRIER
Your passwords should be at least 8 characters long, but if you feel like adding more, it can only serve to make it more secure!
BEWARE THE STICKY NOTE METHOD
Breaking a mental sweat trying to remember all these strong passwords you’re making? Don’t even think about writing them down on a sticky note. With so many great password manager tools, both free and paid, there’s no excuse for risky password habits.
GET A SECURITYCONSULT.