Research shows that if you’re an active IT and internet user you probably have at least 30 corporate and personal passwords. Here are some tips to prevent your passwords from being hacked by social engineering, brute force or dictionary attack methods and keep your accounts safe:
- Do not use the same password, security question and answer for multiple important accounts
- Use a password that has at least 10 characters, use at least one number, one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter and one special symbol
- Do not use the names of your families, friends or pets in your passwords
- Do not use postcodes, house numbers, phone numbers, birthdates, ID card numbers, social security numbers, and so on in your passwords
- Do not store your passwords in your internet browser (i.e. the auto complete function)
- Do not write your passwords down in an unsecured location (e.g. a diary). Best make use of a reliable password manager.