Strong password security is essential online. While many websites have varying password security requirements, these are some general password tips to keep in mind that will help keep you and your information safe.
DO:
- Do create long passwords. Most websites require at least eight characters (numbers, letters, or symbols) or more. The longer the better! A sixteen-character password will be more difficult to guess than an eight-character password.
- Do use lots of characters. It's a good idea to add a variety of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols in your password whenever possible.
- Do consider using "leetspeak" for your password. Leetspeak replaces random letters with numbers (such as 3 in place of E). For example, "T@c0-tu35d@y-Tim3!" uses leetspeak to spell "Taco Tuesday Time" and could serve as a strong password for a website.
DO NOT:
- Do not include personal or easily identifiable information in your passwords, such as your pet's name, nickname, birth year, etc. These words make your password easy to guess.
- You may even see trending quizzes on social media asking you to answer questions like your first car, high school mascot, etc. If you share your responses, they may be used by someone to try to guess your password. It's best to steer clear of those words and quizzes altogether.
- Do not use the same password on multiple websites. If one password gets revealed, then they all will be.