Archives - Password


Never use personal information in password hints

You may sometimes be asked to provide password hints on some of your accounts. These are small clues meant to jog your memory in case you forget your password. Generally, hints aren’t very safe to begin with and may be easily guessed, especially if you use personal information. Bad actors could connect the dots between […]

Make your passwords longer, rather than more complex

It’s long been thought that the more complicated a password, the harder it is to crack. Once upon a time, this was true — but not any longer. As decryption and other hacker techniques become more advanced, it’s also becoming easier to guess shorter passwords. By adding additional characters, you’re adding millions of additional possibilities […]

Change your master password to your password manager every now and then

Your password manager is essentially the storage locker for your passwords to anywhere. A password manager is usually locked using a master password. Ask yourself the last time you changed your password for your password manager. If you don’t remember, then it’s time to change it. You can usually change your password by going to […]

Change default passwords on home routers and devices

Many devices in your smart home, from your Wi-Fi router to a new baby monitor, may ship with a default username and password, such as “admin” for both credentials. You should change them as soon as possible to avert exposure to botnets designed to take over devices with easily guessed login credentials.

Let Google create a unique password for you

Google now has a feature where it will ask if you’d like to generate a unique password when signing up on a website. If you opt to do so, Google will create a strong password for that site and remember it for you. Google essentially acts as a password manager. This feature should be enabled […]

Change your passwords after a data breach notification

Strong passwords are among the best defenses against account hacking. Regularly changing them provides additional protection. If you receive a notification about a data breach affecting one of your accounts, that’s a good occasion to update all your passwords. It may be a good to also implement two-factor authentication on accounts if possible.