In this digital, password-protected world, just how many passwords do you have to remember at any given time? While it’s not a good idea to use the same password for all your accounts or to leave a list of your passwords posted on your computer terminal (yes, it happens all the time), here are a few guidelines from Nick Forcier, CEO of Large Software (www.largesoftware.com), to keep passwords, as well as the data they are designed to protect, safe.
* Make it impersonal. Don’t use personal information, such as the names of your pets, relatives, or birthdays, to create a username, login, or password. Identity thieves are experts at sifting though data on the web to find such details. While selecting (and remembering) new passwords may be more difficult to do, it’s far easier than trying to fix a stolen identity.
* One size doesn’t fit all. In a nutshell, diversify. Don’t use the same login and password across several sites, cards, and accounts. Forcier says once a thief gains access to such a golden password, access to data will be like a house of cards, allowing thieves to access your entire financial portfolio one by one.
* Longer is better. Studies have shown that it’s easy to guess many user-chosen passwords automatically. Short passwords are also more susceptible to commercial tools that can recover passwords. Such software is capable of testing 200,000 passwords per second, says Forcier. To improve the strength of your password, go longer: Select a minimum of eight characters with uppercase and lowercase letters and include a mix of letters, numerals, and symbols. Be creative: Don’t use words found in the English dictionary.
* Make it tough. Don’t use a simple password such as “12345678,” “222222,” or “abcdefg.” Avoid sequential passwords or using passwords that use adjacent letters on a…