Passwords: The DOs and Don’ts

Passwords are essential for security and are required to access almost all of your accounts. Passwords are now required for email, bank accounts, and digital devices, among other things. It could be disastrous if your private or personal information is lost. Remember that your password is just as valuable as your identity.

Although passwords are an integral part our lives, they can also be a major part of our digital world. However, it is often seen that we don’t always give passwords enough importance. We tend to think “what could I have that a hacker might want” and create weak passwords. Because it is easy to remember, we also use the same password for all accounts. If a hacker gains access to one password, he can gain access to your entire digital life. This is why password security is so important. You can avoid becoming a victim to cybercrime and malware by choosing your password carefully.
Here are some common password mistakes:
Set a password of the minimum length
You can choose a predictable password such as ‘123456’, ‘qwerty’, or ‘abcdef’
You can choose birthdays, anniversaries or other personal information to create your password
You can choose names of people who are related to you
Share your password with family and friends
Not updating passwords regularly
Keeping the passwords for important accounts in easy-to-reach places is a good idea.
Don’t
Here’s a list of what you should not do with your passwords.
Do not use the word “Password” or any permutations or combinations thereof. For example, some people keep ‘[email protected]’ as their password. It is equally dangerous.
Avoid using common passwords such as morning, flowers, friends, and so on.
Use different passwords for each account.
Passwords should never be shared. You should not stick your passwords to your computer on a piece paper.
Avoid using apparent patterns such as 111111, abc123 or 654321 or common keyboard patterns such as qwerty or asdfghjkl.
Special characters like @,!, 0, etc. You should not use special characters like @,!, 0, etc. at the beginning and end of your password.
Do not believe that a weaker password is better just because you have 2FA.
You should not include personal information like your birthdate, address, or names of family members.
Do
Long passwords must not contain two or more words that are not related. Use special characters or numerals as well, but not the well-known and overused substitutions @ for an e and 3 for an a.
Your passwords should be at least eight characters in length. You should aim for between 12-15 characters.
Use a mixture of lowercase and capital characters, numerals, symbols, and numerals.
Use terms that only you could understand. It should be absurd to others.
Encrypt your passwords in a password manager to keep them safe and secure.
Make sure your password contains both numbers and letters.
Each account should have its own set passwords that are both unique, and complex.
To add extra protection to your primary email account, use two-factor authentication (2FA).
Passwords allow users to verify that they have the right to access a computer. Multiple users can share one device with their own passwords. A password works in the same way as a lock and key system. Only the key holder will be allowed to enter.
Hackers use password guessing to gain access to computers. Hackers can quickly gain access to a digital device and take control using simple passwords that are widely used. Hackers will not be able to hack into a system using a strong password and will have to search for another victim. Hackers are less likely to fall for such unwelcome intrusions if the password is more complex.
Computing devices can communicate with each other and share information. They can also communicate with banks.