These days, we use passwords for just about everything—email, banking, shopping, and even watching TV. Keeping those passwords safe is one of the easiest ways to protect yourself online.

The good news? You don’t need to be a computer expert to stay safe! A few simple habits can make a big difference.

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Why Password Safety Matters

Your passwords are like the keys to your home. If someone gets access to them, they can get into your personal information, your accounts, and even your money. Worst case, they could even get access to enough private information that they could then try to steal your identity.

Good password safety is not easy, which leads to many people:

• Use the same password for everything
• Choose passwords that are easy to guess
• Write them down in unsafe places

These habits make it much easier for scammers to gain access.

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What Makes a Good Password?

In the early days of the internet, we thought the best passwords had a mix of uppercase letters, lowercase letters, a symbol, and a number – like RJ@7bH^FC. But since then, we realized:

• It is really hard to remember a password like this!
• You shouldn’t use the same password everywhere – so you need to remember dozens of passwords like this.
• New, fast computers are really good at guessing short passwords.

A strong password should be:

• Long (at least 12 characters)
• Hard to guess (not password123 or secret)
• Non-Public Information (not your name, birthday, or city you live in)
• Unique (different for each account)

These days, we realized the length of a password is the most important thing – the longer it is, the harder it is for computers to try and guess what it is. This makes it a lot easier for us – we can use a set of words (a passphrase) which have meaning, and we’ll remember – and it’s actually more secure!

Instead of Spot123 (your dog’s name) use MyDogSpotJumpsHigh! With a normal computer, the first password can be guessed in less than 1 minute, while the second password would take months or years!

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Social Media Fortune Telling

Has someone on Facebook ever posted a picture that will guess your future, based on your birth month and birthday? And then everyone responds with what this fortune telling image has revealed for them? Did you ever realize all these people just publicly posted on the internet what their birthday is? What if their password is based on their birthday, or what if their family has used it?

While these social media posts can be fun and silly, they can expose your personal information to people well beyond your Facebook friends. It’s best to avoid commenting on these posts.

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Reusing Passwords

So you’ve decided on a really good password – MyDogSpotJumpsHigh! – so you decide to use it for all your accounts, to make them all secure. You set this password for your music streaming account, your recipe book app, your Facebook account, and your banking app.

One day, you hear that your recipe book app was hacked, and someone copied all the user data and sold it on the internet! Now hackers have your email address, password you used, and can start trying to use your account to log into other websites. If you don’t change your password quickly, or don’t even find out that the app was hacked, someone could gain access to your most important accounts – even your banking app.

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Be Careful Where You Store Passwords

So you’ve decided you’ll use a different password for every account you have – excellent! How will you remember 50 different passwords? Maybe you can write them down in a notebook, which you keep in your home office? What happens if anyone ever gets access to that notebook?

The best way to keep track of all your passwords is a Password Manager. It’s an app which securely stores your passwords, and automatically fills them for your phone, computer, and any other device. There are some great, free Password Managers available, which are easy to use and will help you have great password sanity.

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Watch Out for Scams

Scammers often try to trick people into giving away passwords through emails, phone calls, or fake websites.

Be cautious if:

• You receive an email asking you to “verify” your password
• Someone calls claiming to be from a company and asks for personal information or log in details
• A website looks slightly different than usual
• Your browser shows a warning page before you go to a website, saying there is an issue with the website security (red flag that you’re going to a fake website, or one which has been compromised)

Remember, legitimate companies will never ask for your password!

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When a Password Isn’t Enough

Many accounts offer an extra layer of security called two-factor authentication or multi-factor authentication. You log in with your username and password, and then have to enter in a code sent through text or email, or through an app or password manager. This means if someone has your username and password, they still can’t log in unless they have your phone or computer.

If you use a Password Manager, you can have it provide the code as well, which means it’s no extra work for you to be even more secure!

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Final Thoughts

Staying safe online doesn’t have to be complicated. By choosing strong passwords, keeping them secure, and staying alert to scams, you can protect yourself. Using a free or low cost Password Manager is the easiest way to do this.

If you ever feel unsure, it’s okay to ask for help. Technology should make life easier—and with the right support, it can.