It’s national password day and let this be your sign to change every one of your passwords! It seems like every day, we hear about a new data breach where hackers steal our personal information such as emails, phone numbers, passwords, social security. Have I Been Pwned? It is a great site that lets you see if your information has been compromised during a data breach by simply using your email address as the starting point.
Below are 6 easy tips to help you reset your passwords and increase your security!
Tips for a secure password:
- Make long, unique, and complicated passwords
- Minimum of 12 characters
- Use words or phrases only you know
- Include special characters and numbers
- Don’t use information someone can find through social media
- It is never a good idea to use family names, where you went to school, your pets name, etc
- Never use the same password twice
- 52% of people do this, and it is the worse thing you can do, according to Virginia Tech
- Use two-factor authentication whenever possible
- Google Authenticator is widely used and easy to use
- Be careful what you share on social media
- Even the food you share could tip off a hacker!
- Use a Password Manager
Is a Password Manager worth it?
Yes, because securing your passwords are not complicated, but remembering them all is! This is why we highly suggest using a password manager. Password managers do more than help you create, and manage your passwords, they also monitor for possible security breaches and provide suggestions on how to increase the security of your passwords. May can even help you store your credit card numbers, necessary addresses, and bank accounts all in one place. Plus, you only need to remember one password! Popular and well-rated password managers are LastPass, 1Password, Google’s Smart Lock, and Apple’s Keychain.
Oh, and don’t forget about your home wireless router and security devices while changing all of your passwords!
Jayme Hill is Chief Operating Officer for Diamond Media Solutions.
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