Password tips: keeping in control07 April 2005
Free email accounts - we all love them. But it's not before long when we come face to face with the biggest bane of our online lives - password overload! All of us, at one time or another, have forgotten our passwords and have had endless hours rummaging around to find them, or calling the help desk to reset them.
This proliferation of passwords has also been fuelled by fear of cyber criminals getting to them - and rightly so. But how do you stop your passwords (or forgetting them) from taking over your business life?
It all comes down to effective password management. Here are some tips that will help you get to grips with your passwords.
Evaluate your current passwords
Do a healthcheck on all your passwords - ask yourself:
- How many passwords do I have, what are they for and how important are they?
- Would my passwords be easy to guess? For example, do I use passwords that relate to family members or common words?
- Do I use the same password for multiple applications?
Once you've done your healthcheck - select four or five passwords that are easy to remember but not relative to your personal details or common words. Then stick to these four/five for you different uses for the next three months.
Create effective passwords
You may think you're being smart when spelling words backwards, but remember, hackers are probably smarter, so don't underestimate them. Don't use common words or security details like your birth date. Don't use passwords that contain all letters or all numbers.
On the other hand, do use letters and characters together. A good way of securing a good password is swapping letters for numbers - so for example, 'security' - could become '5ecur1ty'. The best passwords are usually easy to remember words; eight characters long and have a mix of letters and numbers (alphanumeric).
Don't write your passwords down
The best thing you can do to keep your passwords safe is to memorise them. Admittedly, not all of us have super efficient memories - but however forgetful you are - do not write your passwords down and leave them lying around. Analyse the importance of each password. Those that are crucial to protecting your data can be encrypted on your PC - which means that you convert it into a form that disguises the data and only authorised users can access it. You may need an IT person to set this up for you. Alternatively, if you still choose to write them down - write each password on separate pieces of paper and store them in a safe place - preferably away from the your place of work and where you keep your other valuables.
Change your password regularly
Whether you've forgotten it or not - changing your passwords every couple of months, is good way of safeguarding your information. Once you're changed your password it's always handy to log in and out of your accounts several times for the first few days - this way the password will remain fresh in your mind.
