by C.K. Naes

Created on: November 06, 2008   Last Updated: April 11, 2009

It is becoming increasingly important to protect your passwords. An increasing number of hackers enter the cyberworld every day, searching for easy prey. There are several tips you should follow to ensure the security of your passwords and the data they protect..

Begin by utilizing passwords that are at least 8 characters or more. Although some websites only require the password length to be 6 characters, you should still make yours longer for security purposes. The more characters you add, the more difficult it will be for someone else to crack. Don't make it easy. The harder you make it, the more likely they will give up and move on.

It is common practice for people to use passwords that are easy to remember, such as the name of a childhood pet, a family member's birth date, their children's names, their favorite car, and etc.. It is highly recommended that you do not use these types of passwords. These are the easiest to figure out. The word "Christmas", or "corvette", is much easier to hack than something more complex, like "Pa$198@Rst". Use lower case and upper case letters, special characters, and numbers in your password to make it more difficult for others to guess. If you absolutely have to make your password something easy to remember, use a familiar word, but change some of the characters to numbers or symbols. For example, if you selected the word "password" as your password (please don't ever do that, by the way), change it to "Pa55word!" instead. Adding the upper case letter, numbers and symbol made it more difficult for a hacker to access, but you are still able to remember it utilizing this method.

Change your passwords often and try not to repeat them. Its a good practice to change them every 30 to 45 days. Some hackers will try to access the same accounts over and over again. If you leave your passwords the same, he or she may eventually break them over time. Hackers are very patient. If they want access to your data, they will use every avenue available to them to get it.

While it is common practice for people to write their passwords down, it is certainly not recommended. One of the easiest way to access someone else's information is to find a sticky under their keyboard that has account and password information on it. Sadly, not everyone in the world can be trusted. Your co-worker could be the guy stealing credit card information, or selling business secrets to your competitor. If you can't remember your passwords, write them on a piece of paper (with as little information as possible about what the password is for) and place it in a secured drawer or cabinet that only you can access.

NEVER select the "Remember my Password" option on a website. It makes it easier for you, but it also cache's your password, making it easier for someone to access. There are also some websites that don't encrypt passwords, which means someone that gains access to the website can also see your password which puts you at risk.

Protecting your data and your identity is important. Securing your passwords is the first step to preventing unauthorized access to your valuable information. Following the suggestions above may not prevent a hacker from attempting to access your information, but it will sure make it more difficult for him/her to succeed.

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