Protecting Yourself Online, Part 1 – Passwords
September 11, 2009
Going online these days can be a scary thing. With everything we hear about identity theft, spyware, online predators and more you sometimes wonder if there’s really anything you can do to stay safe. Well your internet experience doesn’t have to be one fraught with worry and concern. In this series of short articles we’re going to discuss some basic precautions you can take to keep yourself and your computer safe online.
One of the most fundamental precautions you can take is to create a strong password and to protect it. It is so easy to use a birthdate, a spouse’s name or other easily discovered password that most of us choose to do so without thinking of the implications. Those who are out to steal your confidential information can ‘crack’ a poorly chosen password in a matter of minutes.
Now that the bad guys have your password, they can use it to potentially drain your bank account, open up a new credit card in your name and pose as you in numerous fraudulent online transactions.
The first step to protecting yourself is to choose a STRONG password. The strongest passwords are those that look like random garbage to attackers. You can create a somewhat random looking password and still make it memorable to you.
1) Use a long word or phrase that is easy to remember (the longer the password the better, never less than 8 characters, preferably over 16) (example phrase: I like ice cream).
2) Replace some of the letters with numbers AND special characters (for example replace an e with a 3, or an L with a ‘[’ ). (example: I_[ike_1c3-cr3am).
3) Continue to add complexity by making some of the characters in your password lower case and some upper case. Consider prefacing or suffixing your password with a number or special character. (example:I_[ike_1c3-cr3aM! ).
4) Check your password with one of the many online password strength checking tools such as www.passwordmeter.com. (our sample password above gets an 84%, or VERY STRONG rating)
Now you have a password that’s not that hard to remember, but nearly impossible for an attacker to guess and even harder for them to crack.
Things to avoid when creating a password:
1) Dictionary items. Using a word that is found in the dictionary is easily guessed.
2) Avoid using a single password for all of your accounts.
3) Do not use anything that can be associated with you personally (such as your spouse’s name, your house number (or a previous house #), your logon name, your anniversary, etc…).
Lastly, you need to keep your new password/passwords safe. Here are a few tips:
1) Don’t give your password out to others and never send your password in email or via instant message.
2) Be careful where you store or write down your passwords. Don’t carry them around in your wallet or put them on a sticky note next to your computer.
3) Never use your password on a public computer. For example don’t logon to your bank account at the public library or internet cafe as Keyloggers and other tools can be used to easily steal your password.
Stay tuned for the second article in the series, How to recognize malicious emails and websites.
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