Protect your online activity and information

Everyone prefers top-notch security for their homes and vehicles, but what about their online accounts? It is unfortunate to say that most people prefer a convenient password instead of a strong one. Quality always works best, which means you need a strong password. A password is basically the lock to your online door, so you want it to be extremely difficult to break into, especially since cyber crimes are becoming more common than burglaries. So, what makes a password strong or weak?

Qualities of a strong password:

It is over 7 characters
It does not have your name, username, or brand
It does not have a complete word or phrase
It is not the same as your other passwords
It has at least one capital letter (A, B, C, etc.)
It has at least one lower case letter (a, b, c, etc.)
It has at least one number (1, 2, 3, etc.)
It has at least one symbol (!, @, $, etc.)

Even if your password has all these qualities, it could still be weak. Use acronyms of words instead of using full words or deliberately misspell the word. In order to remember your password more easily, try and choose something related to your personal life. If you write it down in case you forget it, don’t label it. It is also important to keep it hidden in a private place.

Avoid passwords that have these:

It has the same letter used over and over (ex. Aaaaaa}
It has letters or numbers in sequential order (ex. 123abc)
It has the word “password” in it
It has the phrase “iloveyou” in it
It is exactly the same or similar to other passwords you have

It was reported recently that “123456” was the number one most used password among the users that were hacked on October 4th. Almost 2 million Adobe users had that password. If you recognize that your favorite password has any qualities like this, consider changing it. For more information about Adobe’s recent breach and why it is important to create strong passwords, click here- http://www.businessinsider.com/the-worst-passwords-to-use-2013-12