National World Password Day: Is Your Information Protected?

From online banking to social media accounts, there’s a lot of your personal data floating around on the internet. While using your dog’s name as a password for all your accounts may be convenient, it may not be the safest choice. Moreover, if you haven’t updated your password recently, the chances of someone hacking into one or more of your accounts increases. That’s why Intel dubbed May 7 National Password Day as a reminder to update yours for something stronger and harder to crack. It may not be the most festive holiday, but it is important. Learn how to create a strong password and why the day is worth recognizing. 

Remember Your Password

There’s a reason many people use easy passwords like their birthdays and pet’s names: they’re easy to remember. Creating something stronger requires using upper and lowercase letters, symbols and numbers – all which end up looking like somebody accidentally sat on the keyboard. However, there are some tricks you can use to remember a strong password. You can think of a sentence and use the first letter of every word, add symbols to the end of a word or use the PAO method to create a hack-proof password no one will ever be able to guess. 

Secure Your Network

Think of your home wifi network as a portal to all your online accounts. If someone wanted access to your personal information, they could gain it by hacking into your wifi. Having an unsecure network is like leaving the front door unlocked. Protect your data by ensuring your network is private and secure with a strong password. Moreover, make sure your network name isn’t something that identifies you such as your home address. The less strangers know about you, the better. Plus, having a secure connection is one of many ways you can improve your wifi speeds. 

Change Your Password Regularly

Intel created National World Password Day to remind the public to change their password on a regular basis. Why is it important to change your password? Changing your password every few months can help reduce your risk of being hacked, limit access to multiple accounts and reduce access granted to keystroke loggers. What are keystroke loggers? A keystroke logger is a technology used by cyber-criminals to record keystrokes and steal login credentials. If it’s successfully used to reveal your password, it won’t be beneficial for long with frequent password updates.  

When it comes to doing anything online, a password is your first line of defense against cyber-attacks and security breaches. Make sure yours is strong, unique and hack-proof across all your online accounts.