Tips for Creating Strong Online Passwords
To keep your online accounts safe, experts recommend 1. creating passwords that are a combination of eight or more letters and numbers/symbols and 2. avoid using the same username and password combination for multiple websites.
Here are some tips for creating strong online passwords:
- Use a unique password for each of your important accounts.
- Use a mix of letters, numbers and symbols in your password. Do not create passwords of numbers only, especially sequences.
- Don’t use personal information or common words as a password.
- Make sure your backup password options are up-to-date and secure.
SplashData compiled the following list of the 25 “Worst Passwords of 2014” from over 3.3 million passwords that were leaked in 2013. If any of your passwords appear on the list below change them ASAP using the suggestions above.
- 123456
- password
- 12345
- 12345678
- qwerty
- 1234567890
- 123
- baseball
- dragon
- football
- 1234567
- monkey
- letmein
- abc123
- 111111
- mustang
- access
- shadow
- master
- michael
- superman
- 696969
- 123123
- batman
- trustno1
Keep your passwords secure
- Don’t leave notes with your password on your computer or desk.
- If you save your passwords in a file on your computer, create a unique name for the file so people don’t know what’s inside. Do not give the file an obvious name, such as “my passwords.”
- If you have a difficult time remembering multiple passwords, a trusted password manager may be a good solution. Check out the reviews and reputations of these services. PC Magazine’s favorites can be viewed at http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2407168,00.asp
For more information on creating strong online passwords go to https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/32040?hl=en
