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How often do you change your passwords?

How often do you change your passwords?

Not often enough, probably!

Most of us currently use passwords in almost every aspect of our daily lives now, for online banking, shopping, social media accounts – you need to be logged in to see this post! Even accessing your phone or laptop.

But how frequently do you actually think about when you last changed your email password or your Facebook password?

There’s a terrifying statistic about the current state of our password security. Business Insider did research to determine just how vulnerable accounts were, and discovered that 10,000 of the most common passwords allow access to 98% of all accounts. In other words, most people are using the same passwords – and many for years at a time…and the hackers know this!

SO what are the DO’S & DON’T of a strong password?

  • DON’T use a recognisable name – your child’s middle name or your pet’s name or your street name for instance! Way too easy to guess!
  • DON’T use a short password of fewer than 8 characters – very easy to decipher
  • DON’T use a memorable date or a birth date – too easy to find out
  • DON’T use the word ‘password’ itself – It may seem ridiculous, but I know people who have actually done this!
SO what are the DO'S & DON'T of a strong password?
SO what are the DO'S & DON'T of a strong password?

Set a reminder!

  • DO make sure it’s more than 8 characters – the longer the better!
  • DO use a random selection of upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols
  • DO use a different password for every account – use an encrypted Password Manager App to keep track of them all, then you only need to remember the one password to open the app!
  • DO change your passwords regularly – at least every three months
  • DO set a reminder in your calendar to do this!