Tips for Making a Secure Password

Follow these tips for secure password creation:

No personal information:
Don’t use information like family members’ names, birthdates, anniversaries or addresses in passwords. Especially with so much of our personal information on social media and other digital platforms, cybercriminals can too easily figure out such passwords.

No real words:
Hackers are skilled at identifying common passwords, so try to make yours as unique as possible. Avoid using actual words and opt instead for ones that, while you may be able to remember them, others would have trouble making sense of.

Vary character types:
Use a combination of different character types, such as lower- and upper-case letters, symbols and numbers.

Use different passwords:
Don’t use the same password for all of your online accounts. If a hacker was to access one account, that could compromise your entire digital profile. Instead, use different passwords for every account you have, and change them frequently.

Be careful of password storage:
While it can be tough to remember all of your passwords, avoid storing a list of them on your computer. If the device is breached, a cybercrook could have easy access to all of your information. If using a written list, store it in a location only you know, and do not share it with anyone in your life.