How to Create a Stronger Password
The easiest way to create a strong password is to use the first letter of a Memorable Phrase or Mnemonics. It may be a verse from a poem or a line from a movie. However something specific to your personal life may be a better choice.
For example the first letter of a phrase like, “Danny’s mom Jean enjoys high tea at 430“ will give us a password that looks like this: DmJehta430
This is an example of a strong password with a mix of uppercase letters, lowercase letters and numerals. To make it stronger, special characters such as ! $ % ^ & may be used.
Make your password at least 8 characters long. The longer your password the better it is.
Remember to rotate between a few good passwords and do not use the same password on all the different sites. No matter how strong, it is never safe to use just the one.
Shortlist:
- Memorable Phrase or Mnemonics
- Uppercase Letters
- Lowercase Letters
- Numerals
- Special Characters
Tips for a Stronger Password
It’s especially important to have a separate password for an email account, says Mozilla’s Mr. Sterne. Many sites have “Forgot my password” buttons that, when clicked, initiate a password-recovery process by email. Hackers who break into an email account can then intercept those emails and take control of each account registered using that address.
“Having the same password for everything is like having the same key for your house, your car, your gym locker, your office,” says Michael Barrett, chief information-security officer for online-payments service PayPal, a unit of eBay Inc.
by Stu Woo
Provided by The Wall Street Journal via Yahoo
Related Article: 3 FREE Password Managers
8 Ways to Protect Yourself from Email Breach
Another major hacker attack last week exposed the names and emails of millions of consumers to cyber criminals — and you might be on the list.
“As a practical matter, you can’t get out of all of the massive data banks that hold your personal data. Even the names of people who opted out might be retained. But you can do your best to minimize your risk.”
Click to Read 8 Ways to Protect Yourself From Email Breach at CBS.com’s MoneyWatch by Jane Bryant Quinn