It seems that unfortunate news stories are frequently reported about bank account and email passwords that have been stolen. Sometimes these security breaches compromise the private data of thousands and even millions of people. It’s easy to become discouraged and wonder if there is anything we can do to protect ourselves within this electronically connected environment.
We know that just as a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, that online security systems are similar because they are only as strong as their weakest components. Not surprisingly, the password is often the weakest link in the electronic security “chain” that protects our online banking, email accounts and other personal data.
In reality, a weak password compromises the entire system including your personal information. The good news is that you can better protect yourself and enhance your electronic security and privacy by using more sophisticated passwords. Here are nine password safety tips to do just that.
1. Create strong passwords.
A strong password is a string of characters that is difficult for another person (or even a computer program) to guess. In fact, the name password is a bit of a misnomer since a strong password should not even be a real word. A strong password should be a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and special characters including keyboard symbols. Since computer programs can try to “guess” your password via massive electronic dictionaries, your password should not be a dictionary word in any language. The longer and more varied your password is then the harder it is to guess; therefore, make it at least eight characters long. Since each additional character dramatically increases your password’s strength, most security experts recommend longer passwords which would include 12 or even 14 character long passwords for better safety.
2. Create random passwords.
A password should not be all letters, all numbers, or as stated above, it should not even a real word. Instead, a password should be a random mix of all these elements — anything on the keyboard is fair game. Don’t forget the [click to continue…]
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