Good password practices
Online accounts have valuable information that cybercriminals are looking to get so that they can steal your identity or commit fraud. Using strong passwords and managing them effectively are important steps you can take to protect your accounts.
There are simple tips you can follow to protect your information.
Use strong passwords
As hacker techniques evolve, their ability to crack passwords have improved greatly. According to cybersecurity company Hive Systems, an 8-character password with upper case and lower case letters, numbers and special characters can be cracked in 39 minutes, whereas a 12-character password can take 3,000 years.
To protect yourself, you should set up an unique and secure passwords that are more difficult for hackers to crack. Here are suggestions for creating a good password:
- Never use something that is easily guessable such as your birthday.
- Use a longer sequence of random words or text – at least 12 characters.
- Use a combination of lower case and upper case letters, numbers and special characters (!$#%*&).
Never reuse a password
Always use a different password for every service you use. Attackers will try passwords they get from other breaches to see if you reused them. Also, ensure that passwords are not similar to those used on other sites (using the same password with one or two changed letters).
Use a password manager
Trying to create a unique, long and strong password for all your online services and websites can seem impossible. Most people cannot remember that many passwords and either reuse the same one over and over again, or a variation of the same password with some slight changes. Use a password manager to create strong, unique passwords for each site.
Enable multi-factor authentication
Multi-factor authentication (MFA), also known as two-factor authentication (2FA), protects your online accounts by using more than just a username and password.
MFA uses text messages, email or an app on your smartphone. The text message, email or app will have a unique code that you need to enter when logging in to your account. To complete the login, the password must be correct and the code must match the one sent to you.