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Protect Your Passwords

Protecting your passwords is essential in keeping your personal information secure in the digital world. Keeping your passwords secure is a major way of preventing identity theft. Consider using unique passwords for every account and use a password manager to keep track of them. By protecting your passwords, you are protecting yourself.

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Benefits of Password Protection

  • Financial Security: ​​​​​​ Accounts we have online are often linked to our financial information (ie. credit cards, banking information). A compromised password can lead to scammers stealing your money and your identity.
  • Keeping Your Data Private: Online services typically store a user's personal data. Guarding your passwords to those online services helps maintain the confidentiality of your information.
  • Protecting Personal Information: If scammers get ahold of your personal information through hacking your account, they can use this data for maliciously against you or others. Your breached information could help them commit a phishing attempt against someone you know.

Tips for Creating a Strong Password

  • Length: Try to keep your passwords at least 12 characters long. The longer your password is, the better.
  • Character Mix: Use a mixture of numbers, letters, and special characters in your passwords to increase its complexity. The longer your password is, the harder it is to break. 
  • No Personal Information: Do not include personal information in your password. Avoid using things such as the street you live on, your birthdate, family member names, or personal details that could be found in social media.
  • Utilize Passphrases:  A passphrase can be a sentence or a series of random words. Include punctuation and numbers and characters. For example, "Twenty Expensive Bicycles" could be "20$Bicycles!". This increases password strength and makes it harder for hackers to guess.
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Learn About Passwords

  • Visit our Passwords webpage for more information.

Report Phishing

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