In this age of information and advanced technology, many online accounts are created daily. People who use technology need to strengthen their passwords. Strong passwords are the first line of defense against cyber criminals. It’s challenging to come up with strong passwords that are different with each and every account we have and use. The tendency becomes that people will use one common password to access all their accounts. This is not advisable. Here are some tips to help strengthen and secure good passwords.

  1. Never use personal information as a password. Some examples would be birthdates, cellphone numbers, pet names or the names of your children. When the intruder knows you, it will likely be a first guess.
  2. Never use common passwords. Sophos, a security company, has listed popular passwords that intruders are likely to guess. The most commonly used passwords are “12345678”, “password”, and “abc123”.
  3. Avoid using a readable password. It is recommended to use a long password, and mix in lowercase and uppercase letters, numbers and symbols. The longer and more complex your passwords are, the better.
  4. If you have many accounts, and tend to forget long passwords, we at Aavex Technology recommend using a password manager like “LastPass” and “Sticky Password Premium.” This will manage your passwords by remembering your master password. It also recommends and checks the strength of your password.
  5. To check your password strength you can also use “The Password Meter.” This is a web tool designed to check the strength of your passwords, and will recommend if they are too short or too basic.

It is important to remember that there is no password strong enough to protect a computer infected with key loggers and/or Trojans. These are viruses that inject unwanted apps into your computer to store your password secretly. Always see to it that your computer is free from Viruses and Trojans. If you would like more information about strengthening your passwords, or have any questions, please contact Aavex Technology Corporation at 630-365-0025. We will be happy to assist you in making your computers safe and secure.