Yesterday was National Pi Day, which some people use any excuse to eat pie.
Today is National Password Day, a good day to review the passwords for your bank account, e-mail, and credit card accounts.
Here are tips from the Federal Trade Commission and Better Business Bureau for making your passwords more secure:
- Make your password long, strong, and complex. That means at least 12 characters, mixed with uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Avoid common words, phrases, or information in your passwords.
- Don’t reuse passwords used on other accounts. Use different passwords for different accounts so that if hackers compromise one account, they can’t access other accounts.
- Use multi-factor authentication, when available. For accounts that support it, two-factor authentication requires both your password and an additional piece of information to log in. The second piece could be a code sent to your phone or a random number generated by an app or token. This protects your account even if your password is compromised.
- Consider a password manager. Most people have trouble keeping track of all their passwords. Consider storing your passwords and security questions in a reputable password manager, an easy-to-access application that stores all your password information. Use a strong password to secure the information in your password manager.
- Select security questions only you know the answer to. Many security questions ask for answers to information available in public records or online, such as your ZIP Code, mother’s maiden name, and birthplace. That is information a motivated attacker can obtain. Don’t use questions with a limited number of responses that attackers can easily guess – like the color of your first car.
- Change passwords quickly if there's a breach. If you receive a notification from a company about a possible breach, change that password and any account that uses a similar password immediately.
For more information on keeping information secure, go to the FTC's Computer Security and BBB's Tips on Identity Theft.
