MCC Daily Tribune

Cybersecurity Awareness Month Tip - Strong Passwords

Creating a strong password is an essential step to protecting yourself online. Using long
and complex passwords is one of the easiest ways to defend yourself from cybercrime.
No user is immune to cyber risk, but there are steps you can take to minimize your
chances of an incident.

SIMPLE TIPS

Creating a strong password is easier than you think. Follow these simple tips to protect
yourself online:

 Make your password eight characters or longer. Create a password with eight
characters or more and a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols.

 Use a long passphrase. Use a passphrase such as a news headline or even the
title of the last book you read. Then add in some punctuation and capitalization.

 Don't make passwords easy to guess. Do not include personal information in your
password such as your name or pets' names. This information is often easy to find
on social media, making it easier for cybercriminals to hack your accounts.

 Avoid using common words in your password. Instead, substitute letters with
numbers and punctuation marks or symbols. For example, @ can replace the letter
"A" and an exclamation point (!) can replace the letters "I" or "L".

 Get creative. Use phonetic replacements, such as "PH" instead of "F". Or make
deliberate, but obvious misspellings, such as "enjin" instead of "engine".

 Never share your password. Don't tell anyone your passwords, and watch for
attackers trying to trick you into revealing your passwords through email or calls.

 Unique account, unique password. Use different passwords for different accounts
and devices so that if attackers do guess one password, they will not have access to
all of your accounts.

 Use stronger authentication. Always opt to enable multi-factor authentication when
available, especially for accounts with sensitive information including your email or
bank accounts. A stronger authentication helps verify a user has authorized access
to an online account. For example, it could be a one-time PIN texted to a mobile
device, providing an added layer of security beyond the password and username.

Visit lockdownyourlogin. com for more information on stronger authentication.

Eileen Wirley
Technology Services - AVP Office
10/02/2018