Setting Strong Passwords
In this section, you’ll learn why strong passwords are so important for protecting your personal information and keeping your online accounts safe from cyber threats. Weak passwords make it easy for hackers to break into your accounts, steal your information, and even access your money. That’s why it’s crucial to understand how to create passwords that are both secure and easy for you to remember.
We’ll explain the importance of using complex and unique passwords for each of your accounts. You’ll see examples of strong passwords that use a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special symbols. We’ll also show you common mistakes to avoid, like using your name, birthdays, or simple words that hackers can easily guess.
By the end of this page, you’ll know how to create strong, secure passwords that protect your sensitive data and make it much harder for hackers to access your information.
Why Are Strong Passwords So Important?
Strong passwords are your first line of defence against cybercriminals. Weak or simple passwords can be cracked in seconds, giving hackers instant access to your personal information, financial details, and even your identity.
Having a strong password can be the one thing that stop your accounts from being compromised, which then leads to loss of data and even money.
Roughly 60% of people re-use their passwords across multiple platforms and whilst this is the convenient option it puts all your accounts at risk if that one password is discovered, so ensuring you have strong passwords across all your accounts is equally important.
Examples Of Strong Passwords
Setting passwords using the below guidance can massively reduce the odds that you are breached:
- Ensure your password is at least 12 characters & always include a number, lower case letter, upper case letter and a punctuation symbol
- Don't set passwords that include obvious info, such as your name
- Utilise passphrases to remember more complex passwords (3 random words paired with a number and punctuation symbol)
Some examples of strong passwords/passphrases can be found below:
- G5p!x2Vr8$Lm
- 4BlueCars!RanFast
How To Manage Your Passwords Safely
It's simple enough to set a strong password, but not so easy to remember what it is, especially if you have multiple. The most secure way to store passwords is by using a password manager, which gives you the following benefits:
- Securely stores all your passwords
- Prevents re-use of passwords
- Generates strong password suggestions instantly
Below are some common password managers you can utilise to keep your data secure along with links to their websites:
- Bitwarden - https://bitwarden.com/
- LastPass - https://www.lastpass.com/
- 1Password - https://1password.com/