Tips for Creating a Password

Passwords are one of the key lines of defense in protecting a person's personal information and accounts. Creating a strong password is an essential step to protecting yourself online. Using long passwords is one of the easiest ways to defend yourself from cybercrime. No citizen is immune to cyber risk, but there are steps you can take to minimize your chances of an incident.

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

• Make your password longer instead of a short, complex password
  Recommendations from the National Institute of Standards and Technology show that longer passwords are stronger than short, complex passwords. They recommend aiming for 15 characters- the longer, the better.
• Use a long passphrase
  Use a passphrase such as a news headline or even the title of the last book you read.
• Use a password manager
  A password manager is a piece of software (some are free, some are paid) that will securely store saved passwords for you so that you don't have to remember all of the different ones you have created. They can even create random, long passwords for you- you can't accidentally share a password over the phone if you don't even know what it is.
• Use strong authentication
  Always opt to enable strong authentication when available, especially for accounts with sensitive information including your email or bank accounts. Strong 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.