Do you have secure passwords?
A password can provide someone with access to your emails, financial data and potentially other sensitive information. You need a secure password that is nearly impossible to guess or crack with software. You can take a few steps to ensure that your passwords are secure.
Use Nothing Recognizable
A secure password contains nothing recognizable. It should look like a cryptic string of gibberish when you get it right. This means never using words or names in any language, not using numbers or dates relevant to you and not using sequences that are common or known in pop culture. Examples of bad sequences are QWERTY, OU812 and 12345. Do not use social security numbers, license plates or the birthdays of friends. Keep it random.
Incorporate Unusual Symbols and Characters
Most modern systems that require passwords will accept nearly any character you can manage to enter. An exception is a text-based terminal. Try to incorporate odd symbols and characters if you can. You can use the symbols on your keyboard like a colon or carat. If you want to get clever, then you can pull up character tables in a word processor and use foreign characters or mathematical symbols though cut and paste. This will give you a very strong password.
Try a Random Password Generator
A very simple and easy way to ensure that your passwords are secure is to try a random generator. A random password generator will make a completely nonsensical and unsystematic string of characters, numbers and symbols for you. The only thing you have to do after that is copy and paste it. Random password generators are an excellent option since they do all of the work for you.
Protect Your New Password at All Times
Often something a person does is the reason that a password is revealed to hackers or malicious parties. Protect your new password at all times. Defend your computer and scan for malware regularly to stop key loggers. Never tell anyone the password. Do not write it down next to the computer or store it in an email or obvious text file. Find a secure way to remember your passwords even though it might be inconvenient.
