World Password Day: 5 ways to upgrade your password

Today (May 5) it is World Password Day and The Canterbury Hub are here to help you strengthen your password and keep your data safe!

This day was first established by Intel in 2013, its a reminder that a strong password keeps your personal information safe and guards you from threats.

Unfortunately, it is still very common for people to use their street names and date of births for passwords. These are often easy to crack, leaving you unprotected to digital threats and cyber criminals.

In this digital era, we rely a lot on these series of words and numbers that are likely to be used repeatedly on multiple platforms.

Passwords should be refreshed, upgraded and changed every couple of months. What better time is there to upgrade your password? Here are five ways to upgrade and strengthen your password:

Lengthen your password

Having a password which has more than 12 characters is more secure than a password with less. According to TechRepublic, it takes 31 seconds to crack a complex seven character password. Having over twelve characters in your password gives you an estimate of two centuries of safety. This is only if your password is random and complex, which leads us to the next point.

Combine alpha and numerical characters

Coupled with the twelve character long password, you need to add a mix of numbers, symbols and letters. A password like ‘Power2Point4Tiger88Team’ will be more difficult for cyber criminals and hackers to accesses your information.

Add symbols

Make it even harder for hackers to gain entry to your information by scattering symbols into your password. Not only are they random, making them hard to crack but they also add a level of complexity to your password. Use these for example: !%*&$

Use more types of verification

A MFA (Multi-factor Authentication) requires two or more forms of authentication to gain access. For example, a password and an authenticator app. Not only does this secure your information more but it allows access safely, regardless of the device, data or place. This way, your information wont be compromised.

Be unique but memorable

Make subtle but memorable changes to your password. The last thing you want to do is hack your own accounts because of a forgotten password. Try adding mixed case characters and symbols to make small but significant change. Keep it in mind but away from cyber attackers.

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