How to create a different password for every account Creating different strong passwords for every account will limit the damage if your personal details get leaked. The three main ways passwords find their way into the wrong hands are through phishing, malware and companies who don't do enough to keep your information safe. There's little point having a cast-iron password that takes trillions of years for a computer to crack if you let criminals pinch it from under your nose. How to keep your passwords out of the wrong hands Be aware that this will affect the memorability of your password, so we encourage you to make use of password managers, such as LastPass where possible. To meet such requirements you can adapt your four random words passwords by changing some letters or inserting some digits or symbols, e.g. Some systems may still require you to create a password that includes a mix of characters and has a limited character length. upper case, lower case, numbers or symbols) to make your password secure, length is the easiest way to make passwords practically unbreakable. Despite the fact that many websites insist you use a mix of character types (e.g. Create your password by choosing four unrelated words that are memorable to you, e.g. If in doubt, go directly to the official website of the bank or other service you’re trying to access using your own bookmark or by typing the legitimate address of the service yourself.The main thing is that your password should be at least 16 characters long. Scammers can copy the look of a company’s communications to fool you into clicking a phony link or attachment, so use caution with links that appear in unsolicited emails, social media, or SMS messages. Never share your password in response to an email or phone call - for example, to verify your identity - even if it appears to be from a trusted company or person.Īlways access websites using trusted links. Treat all unexpected requests for sensitive info with caution. For example, a crook may have hijacked a friend’s account and sent email to everyone in the friend’s address book. Here are some guidelines to follow to protect your passwords and other sensitive information:īe wary of anyone who is requesting sensitive info from you, even if it appears to be someone you know or a company you trust. (You may have heard these con games referred to as " social engineering".) If you receive an email message that appears to be from an online store (like eBay or Amazon) or a phone call from your “bank” that tries to convince you of the “legitimate” need for your password or other sensitive information, it could be a phishing scam. (Just be sure they make sense to you, so you'll remember them.) Don’t be tricked into revealing your passwordsĬriminals can try to break your password, but sometimes it’s easier to exploit human nature and trick you into revealing it. For example, if the question is "Where were you born?" you might answer "Green." Answers like these can’t be found by trolling Twitter or Facebook. Tip: If you’re asked to create answers to security questions, provide an unrelated answer. Don't write them on sticky notes or cards that you keep near the thing the password protects, even if you think they're well-hidden. It's ok to write your passwords down, as long as you keep them secure. See Save or forget passwords in Microsoft Edge. Microsoft Edge can remember your passwords for you and automatically fill them in for you when needed. The best password managers will automatically update stored passwords, keep them encrypted, and require multi-factor authentication for access. If you don’t want to memorize multiple passwords, consider using a password manager. That's called a " Credential stuffing attack" and it's extremely common. If crooks steal your account information from one site, they'll try to use those credentials on hundreds of other well-known websites, such as banking, social media, or online shopping, hoping you've reused the password elsewhere. Never send a password by email, instant message, or any other means of communication that is not reliably secure. Once you’ve created a strong password, follow these guidelines to keep it secure:ĭon’t share a password with anyone. See Use Password Generator to create secure passwords. Tip: Don't want to think up your own strong passwords? Microsoft Edge can create and remember strong, unique, passwords for you.
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