Password Safety and the Internet, How Safe is Yours?

If you are anything like I was a few years ago, changing your password is the last thing on your "to do" list. I am ashamed to admit it, but up until that time. I had only one password that I used for EVERYTHING from my main log on to my EBAY and PAYPAL. Then in an instant things changed. I received an email one morning from "PAYPAL" asking me to log into the site because there was a message waiting for me.

Thinking nothing of it, I exited my email (I was smart enough to open a different window as I knew I should never click through a link to go to a site) and logged onto PAYPAL. What I found there was pretty frightening. Apparently someone had been attempting to access my PAYPAL account but after several failed attempts, the account access was frozen and verification had to be supplied before I was able to access the information and the funds within.

The whole process, including contacting PAYPAL, took less than an hour but in speaking to a representative I found out the hard way how dangerous it could have been had my account been accessed. Not only were funds and financial information accessible but in doing so, this individual had only to find me online and access any of the numerous accounts I had online.

I learned some tips that day (and since from some wise people online as well) about passwords that I think most would agree can make all the difference in the world when it comes to online safety. Here are a few of the tips that have been shared with me. Should you like to add to the list, comment away! There can never be too much online safety as far as I'm concerned!

1. Change your password every month or so. This is imperative. Many government agencies require their users to change their passwords this often. If it is good enough for them, it's good enough for me.....the seconds it takes to do so will pay off in the end.

2. Combine letters, numbers and some say symbols in your password at random. A friend never worries about giving his password to someone in the same office, asking them to log in for him. His password is such a mish mosh of numbers, letters and characters that it would be virtually impossible for anyone to remember it past the first five digits or so! I don't know if I'd go so far as to give my password to someone else but the fact of the matter is his is absolutely random with no pattern what so ever and he changes it so often, none of us can keep up with his level of security anyway!

3. Do NOT use your high school graduation date, your anniversary or any part of your name as a password. Even using the name of a pet can be dicey as it is one of the most often used password tricks on the internet. And don't think of the abc123 as a password thinking the most simple ones are the ones no one thinks of...they do and accounts are broached every day using passwords such as those above.

4. Tell NO ONE your password. If you are afraid of forgetting it, by all means write it down where you and only you will know where to find it. Do NOT write it on a calendar, desk pad or any other place someone might easily view it. I have placed mine at times inside my dictionary (yes, I still use one!) but more often I simply try to memorize it and keep it safely elsewhere without writing it down.

5. Do NOT under any circumstances use your social security number as your password. If your account is hacked into, you will have more problems than you can ever imagine if you add all the information that will be available to the mix should someone find out THAT number! And in that same vein, do NOT use your ATM password either...that also puts you at risk for more trouble down the line. Keep your passwords separate!

6. Passwords should be between 6-11 characters long and it is recommended that the best password be a combination of all characters available. I know the worry about losing long passwords is frightening, but learning that someone has breeched your personal information can be more so!

7. Use as many characters as you can use for your password. Remember, that with every character you use in a password, the harder it will be to discover and the extra seconds you spend logging in will be well spent in peace of mind.

8. Remember that hackers are becoming smarter and smarter and we need to do all in our power to make it harder for them to accomplish their goal of getting into our accounts. Keep changing your passwords and keep making them more difficult to discover. The more you do now, will pay off in the end when you can rest assured that you have a good password that is as secure as possible!

And if you can't think of anything unique for a password, use a site such as Random Password Generator-to help you think of a good one or at the very least, inspire you to think of one that no one would EVER guess! OR you can do as a friend does, she places her 4 year old at the computer and lets him randomly type numbers and letters in a document. She then finds a section that looks random and uses that for her password. Interesting approach I know, but it works for her and to be honest, there have been times when I've asked to borrow her son when I want to change mine too! :-)

And if you are like me, worried about forgetting your password or concerned that should something happen to you, no one would be able to access the computer. I suggest you write all of your passwords in a small notebook easily found at any office supply store and store it in your lock box. All that is left is to share with your family where you have the notebook and relax, now your computer is as safe as possible and you have peace of mind that you have done all in your power to help keep it that way!

So good luck to all...I'm sure this is just a reminder for many of you. If you haven't changed your password in awhile, then take this opportunity to do so. A few minutes spent now, can save you a lot of worry and hassle later. And who needs hassle? We all just want to enjoy our online life, right?!?