Thursday, August 6, 2020

9 rules for strong passwords: How to create and remember your login credentials

The security of your bank account, Netflix account and email inbox depends on how well you safeguard your many passwords.

The key to your online security is to have strong passwords, but the challenge is to create distinct passwords that you can actually remember -- or else you may fall into the bad habit of using the same login credentials for multiple accounts. According to LogMeIn, the company behind the LastPass password manager, you could very easily have 85 passwords for all your accounts once you count all of your social media, streaming, bank accounts and apps.

If your data is compromised, weak passwords can have serious consequences, like identity theft. Companies reported a staggering 5,183 data breaches in 2019 that exposed personal information such as home addresses and login credentials that could easily be used to steal your identify or commit fraud. And that pales in comparison with the more than 555 million stolen passwords that hackers on the dark web have published since 2017.

  • Use a password manager to keep track on your passwords
  • Yes, you can write your login credentials down. Really
  • Find out if your passwords have been stolen
  • Avoid common words and character combinations in your password
  • Longer passwords are better; 8 characters are a starting point
  • Don't recycle your passwords
  • Avoid using passwords known to be stolen
  • No need to periodically reset your password
  • Use two-factor authentication (2FA) ... but try to avoid text message codes
Get the details in Clifford Colby and Sharon Profis' article at www.cnet.com/how-to/9-rules-for-strong-passwords-how-to-create-and-remember-your-login-credentials/.