Why Use Strong Passwords?
Passwords should be easy to remember and difficult to guess.
It is also a good idea not to use words such as your child’s name, pet’s name, or your favourite sports team. This type of information might be easily viewed on your social media page e.g. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc. Numbers and symbols can still be used but it is national advice to use three random words as the key to creating a strong password.
How?
Use a strong, separate password for your email and other important accounts. This means if criminals steal your password for one of your less important accounts, they cannot use it to access your most important ones. This includes your main email account. Criminals can potentially use your email to access many of your personal accounts and find out personal information. If this is your bank details, address, or date of birth, you might be left vulnerable to identity theft or fraud.
For your most important accounts, if it’s available, you should use Multi-Factor Authentication. This means involving a second step after entering your password e.g. providing a fingerprint, using Eye/Face identification, answering a security question, or entering a unique code sent to your device.
Remember – always keep your passwords secret.
