Password Safety

Would you ever use one key to unlock your front door, start your car, and open the safe deposit box at the bank? No! Reusing a password for different accounts is doing just that. Do not use the same password for multiple systems, websites, or accounts.

Did you know hackers often use automated password-cracking tools that can try thousands of dictionary words to guess a password in a matter of seconds? Individual words, even with slight variations, are easy to guess, but a series of words in a passphrase makes them more secure. Try using a something like IL0v3B@seb@11 instead of baseballfan1.

According to recent studies, the average user has approximately 100 passwords to remember. If you need help managing all those passwords, do not store your list of passwords in a plain text file on your computer or on a sticky note under your keyboard. Instead, there are several trusted password management programs that can help you stay secure.