You’ve heard it before, but we’ll say it again. It’s important to have strong passwords and change them regularly to help keep your accounts safe. Here are the basics:
– Don’t use personal information. This includes names of people in your family, your address, or birthdays, since this information can be publicly available to hackers.
– Don’t use real words. Password cracking tools can process every word in the dictionary until a match is found. Instead, use uppercase and lowercase letters combined with special characters such as “&” or “#.”
– Create longer passwords. The longer it is, the better. Try for at least 10 characters.
– Don’t use the same password for multiple websites. If one website has a data breach and you’ve used that password elsewhere, it’s easier for hackers to steal more information.
– Change your passwords. Get in the habit of changing them twice a year when you reset your clocks for Daylight Saving Time.