As college students, many of us are too vulnerable in the digital world. When it comes to passwords, it is very likely that our Gmail password is the same for our banking, social media, and shopping sites too. Let’s be honest, how many of us use the same password or two for every account? Typically, we only change our passwords after we’ve been hacked. But did you know that 90% of passwords are hackable? Therefore, we should be changing them before that is even a possibility.
On May 7th, Intel and McAfee are celebrating Password Day as part of their password security campaign. This is an initiative to encourage everyone to create more secure passwords and protect your online accounts and identities.
It’s important to choose original passwords and it is good to update them regularly. Make sure to follow these tips to create strong, secure passwords.
Choose unique and different passwords for each of your accounts -choosing multiple passwords keeps you safer
Make it hard for others to guess –don’t use personal information like your name, birthday or driver’s license number
Use a long password –the longer your password is, the harder it is to guess. Add numbers, mixed-case letters and symbols. The variability makes it harder to guess
Don’t share it –never give your password to anyone, not even friends. Never give passwords, pin numbers, or account information out online, no matter who is asking
Don’t click that link –don’t click on links from someone you don’t know, or email links without information
Use a phrase –using a phrase makes a stronger password than random characters. It shouldn’t be a famous quotation from a book or movie, but make sure it’s something that you can remember. Try to think about your first kiss and describe it in a few words
So “be proactive with your online security and rethink changing or improving your password strength. Take the pledge to keep what’s yours, yours and be proud to say, I #changedmypassword.”