Strong Passwords: Your First Line of Defense Against Identity Theft
To
, thieves just need to know something as simple as your password. Creating one that’s strong is crucial to keeping your identity safe. After all, a weak password can be easily cracked by a computer program or guessed by a savvy hacker.
Here are a few important details to consider when creating a strong password:
• Think outside of the box:
Steer clear of common passwords. Thieves often try to open accounts by using passwords that are used by a lot of people. According to a source, these include ‘password’, ‘ninja’, 123456, and so on.
• Steer clear of personal information:
Avoid using your birthday, Social Security number, or other personal information as a password. If you use personal information as your password, it might not just be your account that’s gone when you’re hacked. You can have your
with the same information.
• Additional characters:
Intricate numbers, uppercase letters, and special characters may help make passwords harder to guess for both human hackers and programs. So instead of using something like “soulfulsiren,” try making it stronger and use “soulfulSireN34.” Thankfully, many sites nowadays require users to create these complex passwords when they register.
• Change the default password:
Consider changing the default password. It’s usually the same password given to everyone who signs up on a website. This can also be true for electronic gadgets like smartphones and wireless routers. So if you don’t want anyone tampering with your account or gadget when it gets lost, try to remember to change the default password.
• Switch it up:
You may want to use a variety of passwords for all of your accounts. That way, when one account is hacked, your other accounts can remain safe. To make it easy for you to remember multiple passwords, consider using a theme. For example, a food-themed password series could have “pestoparmigianacheese23!” for one account, and “fusillisushi235 (tempura)” for another account.
Learn more about these principles that can be helpful to prevent hackers from breaking into your account at
.