No one is totally safe today from cyber attacks. Websites are hacked daily. People have a tendency to use only one password for their online activities, and if a hacker gets into one area of your life, he can invade it all. Here are some basic tips to make your passwords a bit safer.
- Do NOT use your name as part of your password, and that includes your username or company name.
- Create a password that is significantly different than previous passwords. (Often when people are forced to change their password, they add a 1 at the end. If a hacker has your old password, many of the hacking algorithms that they use start by adding numbers to an existing password. And the first number is “ONE.”
- All passwords should be AT LEAST eight characters long
- The password should contain at least one number.
- And finally, it should include some special characters, e.g. “*” or “#”
- Passwords should be changed on a regular basis. Waiting to get hacked is not the right mindset.
- There are apps that you can install on your smartphone that can store all of your passwords. Living in the real world, it may not be feasible to have a separate password for every app or website, but there are certain applications that should definitely have their own distinct password. Online banking is the most notable. It’s one thing if you email gets hacked and everyone in your address book gets a bogus email from you. That (while annoying) can be harmless. But if someone hacks into your online bank, that can cost you real dollars.
