World Password Day is observed annually on the first Thursday of May. It is a day dedicated to promoting better password habits and online security awareness, encouraging online users to practice good cybersecurity etiquette.
Created by Intel in 2013, its goal is to raise awareness about the importance of making and maintaining strong, secure passwords for protecting sensitive information and online accounts.
Ahead of and in honour of World Password Day, here are five tips for creating and managing strong passwords to safeguard your personal data and online accounts:
1 – Make passwords at least 16 characters long
The more characters and character types there are in a password, the longer it would take to crack. Characters include letters, numbers and symbols, though some sites may only allow certain characters. Letters should also vary in upper and lower cases to ensure your password is more complex and harder to guess, especially when the capitalisation is random.
2 – Store passwords responsibly
Passwords need to be kept safe and this can be done through an online password manager or a small, paper book. Password managers store your log-in information separate to the site or account you are trying to log into and mean you do not have to manually type in your information every time you log in. A physical password book, on the other hand, keeps your login information offline. Both versions allow you to store complex passwords without having to remember them off-by-heart.
3 – Avoid easily guessable information
The more random the better! Avoid using names, birthdays, common words and other personal information in your password. Randomised characters in place of guessable words, especially those pertaining to facts about you, will make your password harder to guess. Some forms of personal information such as birthdays or favourite sports teams are available online from personal social media accounts. Don’t risk using these personal facts to secure your online data!
4 – Use unique passwords
Try to refrain from using the same or similar passwords for multiple accounts. If one of your online accounts was compromised, you are less likely to lose access to your others by keeping your passwords different. This goes for updating your passwords as well – try to keep updates different from the last password you used so that your new one is not easily guessable based off of your old one.
5 – Enable two-factor authentication
Some sites, including social media applications, offer “Two-Factor Authentication” or “2FA”. This means anybody accessing your account needs to verify their identity in two ways. This could be logging in with your password and then having a text sent to your phone number or having a backup email to send a verification code to. It means that your accounts are more secure even if your password is stolen.
In combination, these tips will help keep your online assets, information and personal data more secure. Passwords should be updated randomly but frequently to ensure you remain secure in the long-run, just make sure you update them wherever you have your passwords saved!
Always practice safe internet usage and be aware of the personal information you share online. Never share your password or other login information and be mindful of the links you open.
Established in 2000, Solweb Ltd specialises in the design and development of bespoke software solutions. We have a wide range of customers from many different industry sectors across Europe and the US.
For more information, contact Solweb by using the form below.
