Safe Start To The New Year: Securing your Passwords

By cyber security, Google, passwords, tips

Make a good start to the New Year by practicing a few tips on passwords. Just like you change the battery in your fire alarms, you should change your passwords – right now. First and foremost you need to create a strong password. I know everyone is tired of creating passwords, but if you follow 4 simple tips, you wont be the one they are talking about on the news, during the next HACK. 

Tips To Remember When Creating Passwords
Creating a unique password for each of your accounts
Use a different password for each of your important accounts, like your email and online banking accounts. Re-using passwords is risky. If someone figures out your password for one account, that person could potentially gain access to your email, address, and even your money.

Change your password often
If someone has figured out your password, they might be accessing your account without you knowing. Regularly changing your password helps limit this type of unauthorized access.

Mix up your passwords
Using numbers, symbols and mix of upper and lower case letters in your password makes it harder for someone to guess your password. For example, an eight-character password with numbers, symbols and mixed-case letters is harder to guess because it has 30,000 times as many possible combinations than an eight-character password with only lower case letters.  Hint: Use a “3” as an “e” or a “1” as a “L”

Don’t use common words or personal info
Create a unique password that’s unrelated to your personal information. For example, you can select a random word or phrase and insert letters and numbers into the beginning, middle, and end to make it extra difficult to guess (such as “sPo0kyh@ll0w3En”). Don’t use simple words or phrases like “password” or “letmein,” keyboard patterns such as “qwerty” or “qazwsx,” or sequential patterns such as “abcd1234” which make your password easier to guess.


Storing your passwords

Don’t leave your passwords on your computer or desk. People who walk by can easily steal this information and use it to compromise your account. If you decide to save your passwords in a file on your computer, create a unique name for the file so people don’t know what’s inside. Avoid giving the file an obvious name, such as “my passwords.” If you have a difficult time remembering multiple passwords, password manager App, may be a good solution. Spend a few minutes checking out the reviews and reputations of these services.

Also, make sure to regularly update your recovery email address so that you can receive emails in case you need to reset your password. You can also add a phone number to receive password reset codes via text message. 


When it comes to Cyber crimes, it’s hard to not be a victim but you can look for the obvious scams. The scams are not that different since scams began – they are just online. If somebody gets a little info on you they will use it to sound like they know you. Google provides the following information on Cyber security

You don’t have to be a tech expert to help keep your information safe. Learn about the steps you can take to protect yourself online – like picking strong passwords and installing antivirus software – as well as the ways we fight to secure your information and devices.

Avoid scams
Lots of the people you meet online are great, but a few bad apples can spoil the bunch. Follow these three simple tips to avoid scammers and stay safe on the web.
Read more

How we help protect you from scams and personal fraud
Just like in the offline world, there are con artists and fraudsters on the Internet. Learn more about what Google does to help keep you from getting scammed.
Read more

Prevent identity theft
You wouldn’t leave your front door unlocked, so why leave your online identity unsecured? By avoiding a few common criminal tricks, you can protect yourself from online fraud and identity theft.
Read more


FUN FACTS

Spread the word. Share this post!