Safeguarding Your Passwords

 

Passwords are a way of life for all of us in the internet era. Many of us use passwords daily to access everything from our bank accounts to our email.

Since passwords are used to access sensitive information, it’s important to safeguard your passwords from others. Follow these tips:

·         Never give your passwords to others. There are no exceptions to this rule. Legitimate home security companies will never ask for your password to their services.

·         Make it hard to guess. Don’t use birthdates, pet’s names, spouses or kid’s names, names of your hometown, etc. Create passwords that are truly unique.

·         Never use the word “password” or the letter combination “abcd” or the number combination “1234.” These are common passwords checked by most hackers.

·         Remember the “Eight Character Rule.” Your password should be at least eight characters in length and should contain numbers and/or symbols and a combination of upper case and lower case letters.

·         Don’t use the same password for all accounts. A different password for each account offers you the highest possible home security.

·         Don’t write them down. Don’t store passwords on your smartphone or in places easily accessed by others.

·         Use a password manager. Try a free service like LastPass. Simply remember your password to LastPass and allow the service to create, save and fill in your logins for all the sites you need to access. It’s safe, easy and secure. And best of all, it’s free!

·         Be careful when using other computers to access your accounts. Clear all browsing and access history when finished so your passwords aren’t automatically stored by the computer.

These are our favorite tips for password security. What are your favorite tips?