Cybersecurity professionals always say it, but it’s true: passwords are your first line of defence against data breaches. Because of this, it is crucial to make them strong and difficult to crack.
Remember these three keys to make your passwords stronger:
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- Make them long.
The longer a password is, the more challenging to crack. CIRT-BS and other industry experts recommend passwords of 16 characters minimum. You may consider using the first letters of lines of a song you enjoy to add more length. - Make them unique.
As tempting as it may be, NEVER reuse passwords. Every account should have its own password so that if a cybercriminal hacks into one account, they cannot get into another. - Make them random.
A password should not be easy to guess. Remember to use a combination of upper- and lower-case letters, with numbers and special characters sprinkled in. Consider using pass-phrases to increase complexity while making the combination more memorable.
- Make them long.
Use a password manager.
If these tactics are difficult to implement, consider using a password manager like LastPass, Keeper, or 1Password. These tools do all of the memory work for you by not only generating and storing highly complex passwords, but also alerting you of duplicate passwords and passwords involved in data breaches.
To learn more about strong passwords, visit this link.
