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If you’re like most college students, you probably spend a large majority of your time on the Internet. And although this may seem totally harmless (unless you’re procrastinating on doing homework), there are tons of scams, viruses, and computer attackers that can steal your passwords and access private information.
Even if you think you have an invincible computer that can fight off anything, your passwords might be the weakest part of your digital defense system. For example, did you know that more than 90% of passwords are considered hackable by security professionals? The bad news is that you are probably part of that 90%. The good news is that Intel’s Security Initiative is lets you find out how strong your password is with Intel’s secure password tool.
Intel is trying to get people to step up and more effectively secure their information with one simple step: “Change Your Password.” This education initiative isn’t complicated, but the effect of learning about it and following through with it can save you from a lot of trouble. Intel is trying to get people to see that it isn’t good enough to just pick a password that is of “medium” strength on those password strength detectors. They also urge people to pick more than just one password for all their accounts.
A password is supposed to protect you and your information, and if it’s not the best it can possibly be then it can’t do its job! Intel’s way to increase your online security is pretty easy, even for the most technologically challenged of us. They go by the motto “One for the money, two for the show.” What they mean is that you should have one password for money-sensitive accounts, meaning bank accounts, payment accounts (like PayPal), or even online shopping accounts. Then you should have different passwords for your social accounts, like email, Facebook, and Twitter.
Now that you know about having different passwords, it’s time to create a strong password! And this is where Intel really steps up: you can go to their website and test the strength of your password to find out how well it protects you. If you find out that you need some help, Intel provides education on password security. They’re also holding a live password-themed event at Flatiron Plaza in NYC April 4th and 5th. On top of that, you can be entered to win free McAfee software and possibly an Ultrabook! And who said password protection couldn’t be fun?
So the next time you log into your email, check your bank account, or do some online shopping, think about how important all of your information floating around in the Internet is, and whether or not it is totally protected. Internet hacking can have much worse results than just having someone post an embarrassing Facebook status, so protect your information and change your password!
