There’s no overstating the importance of a good password. With cyber-attacks becoming increasingly sophisticated, protecting your online accounts requires more than a simple password. A little effort in creating and maintaining secure passwords goes a long way in protecting your digital life. Stay vigilant and proactive with these ways to improve your account password and keep your information secure.
Don’t Use Personal Information
One of the most common mistakes people make when creating passwords is using personal information. Birthdates, anniversaries, addresses, and even pet names are easily guessable by hackers, who often gather this info from social media profiles and other online sources. To safeguard your accounts, avoid using any personal details that other people can easily discover or guess.
Choose Passphrases Over Passwords
Traditional passwords are often short and simple, making them easier for hackers to crack. Passphrases, on the other hand, are longer and more complex, but they’re still easy to remember. A passphrase is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a sequence of words or a phrase that’s difficult for others to guess but easy for you to recall. By opting for passphrases instead of passwords, you enhance your account security without sacrificing memorability.
You can use a quote, catchphrase, or other saying for your passphrase. Just make sure it doesn’t include personal information or other words that are easy for someone who knows you to guess.
Quality Over Quantity
One of the biggest misconceptions about cybersecurity is that you need to constantly update your password to keep your account secure. While changing your password routinely can keep your login information fresh, ever-changing passwords are harder to come up with and remember. The more you change your password, the more likely you are to use simple, repetitive, and easy-to-guess logins.
Having a strong and unique password for every account is much more effective than updating your passwords every few months.
Use a Password Manager
One of the biggest challenges when improving your account passwords is trying to create a password that’s secure and memorable. With a password manager, though, you don’t have to worry about creating and remembering your passwords on your own.
Password managers generate and store unique, complex passwords for each of your accounts. In addition to keeping your login information safe, this also ensures you don’t reuse passwords across different platforms. By using a password manager, you can significantly reduce the risk of compromised accounts due to weak or repetitive passwords.