Five don’ts for secure passwords

How we create our passwords has become very important, with hackers and online scammers prowling the internet. Just like we use a good lock and key to secure our homes, we need to use a good password to secure our online accounts. This article will take you through 5 things to ‘Not Do’ while creating a secure password.

#1 Do not use your personal details like your name, surname, date of birth, mobile number, pet name or other similar information about yourself as your password. – This is because it is not very difficult for someone to find these details online and hack your account. A simple search on the internet or social media can reveal a lot of personal information about yourself to miscreants.

#2 Do not use personal details of your family members like names, date of birth, other vital dates or information while creating your passwords. As your personal information, the individual links and information about your family or close ones are easy to establish and find online, mainly via social media. These are typical places where scammers and hackers hunt for easy clues to hack your accounts.

#3 Do not use common words and phrases as passwords. The reason for this is that one of the common ploys used by hackers is to break into your account by attempting to crack your password using a “dictionary list” of common words and phrases.

#4 Do not use the same password for different services and accounts across the internet. – This is because, in the worst-case scenario of one of your accounts being broken into, having different passwords will ensure that the hacker will not be able to use the same password to break into your other accounts.

#5 Do not save your passwords in plain text, in a text document on your computer, written down in a book, or in your phone’s address book. These are unsecured places to store your password, and it is easily accessible to anyone who has access to these items.