So how do you protect all your accounts online?
How do you go about making up passwords for all those accounts?
I just got one of Clark Howard’s emails with a link to a post on that subject. So here you go:
With all the talk of high-level hacking, it’s easy to forget that it is we who make ourselves most vulnerable on a very individual level. PC Magazine recently compiled a list of the 10 most common passwords in the United States today. Do not use these on confidential e-mail accounts!
- password
- 123456
- qwerty
- abc123
- letmein
- monkey
- myspace 1
- password 1
- blink182
- (your first name)
These are the first passwords that a criminal would try when attempting to hack your account. Other types of passwords you want to avoid are birthdays and the names of your children or spouse.
Like this post’s title says, those are pitiful passwords.
I’ll make one suggestion for a more creative password: RnIal@WO–0809.
Pretty neat, huh?! Especially since it would be easy for me to remember. And for you as well, if you simply substitute the WO part with your own city and state and the 0809 part with the current month and year.
Yup. That password stands for Right now I am living at Woodburn, Oregon — August 2009. (No, I no longer live in Woodburn!)
That’s right. Make up a sensible sentence that will give you upper and lower case letters, some numerals, and a symbol or two. What I gave you is not even a toad on the tip of the iceberg of possibilities.
For some other ideas on more secure passwords, read the rest of Clark’s piece here: The 10 most common passwords.
And be sure to read the comments there as well. You’ll find some pretty helpful ones.
I use a small Rolodex and keep all my password in there. I keep it on the desk right by the monitor. It is so handy and I think it is one of the smartest things I’ve done!! I have one basic password plus variations of that word.