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Password Security Tips - World Password Day

TheresaV
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Hi everyone,

 

Another day, another cause! Today is official Password Day and whilst that might not sound very exciting, we wanted to take the opportunity to talk a bit about password safety and how certain features can help you increase yours. After all, it’s better to be safe than sorry! ok_hand

 

Create your secure passwords following the below best practices:

  • Your password should be 16 characters or more (currently over half of the passwords are eight characters or less, which are not as strong as longer passwords).
  • Your password should include a combination of letters, numbers, and characters.
  • Your password shouldn’t be shared with any of your other accounts or website login.
  • Your password shouldn’t include any personal information such as your address or phone number. It’s also best not to include any information that can be accessed over social media like kids’ names or birthdays.
  • You password shouldn’t contain any consecutive letters or numbers.
  • Your password shouldn’t be the word “password” or the same letter or number repeated.

 

While that might sound a bit excessive, it’s what gives you the security and comfort to use your devices and accounts without the fear of them being accessed by someone else. If you already have your password set, there are multiple ways to check how secure it is such as on websites like security.org. If you struggle to generate a secure password, you can either use a password generator that helps match all of the above criteria (for example here) or use an app that securely generates and stores your passwords, such as LastPass or 1Password.

 

Do you have any tips on how to create a strong password? Or do you use any other apps that help you store all of your passwords securely? 🔒

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TheresaV
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Oh wow @sheepdog I don't envy you with that. I can agree that it can be rather difficult and overwhelming, especially when you are facing something like you do every day. But it's always good as a reminder to have these kind of threads and special days like Password Day I think, so that even if you only take in one of the tips or suggestions, you can maybe help get your accounts more secure. I mean for me personally it's a good thing to check the most common passwords e.g. on Wikipedia, that sure makes you think that some people would benefit from a bit more secure password. 

 

After all, I think there definitely still is room for improvement in online safety and security that not necessarily has to do with us as users setting up stronger passwords. I hope the future bring a solution to the problem sooner rather than later.

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Anonymous
Not applicable

Having read all of the above..

 

Is saving log in details to Apple keychain safe?

Is letting Firefox save my passwords safe?

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TheresaV
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@Anonymous wrote:

Having read all of the above..

 

Is saving log in details to Apple keychain safe?

Is letting Firefox save my passwords safe?


After having done some reading (e.g. here) I think Apple keychain is definitely safe (however of course limited to Apple) as they are using end-to-end 256-bit AES encryption to protect your data. I'm not 100% sure how Firefox does it, but I read this on the Dashlane blog

 

"Firefox’s built-in password management tool is more like Safari’s than Chrome’s. It allows the user to set a unique master password rather than simply using the user’s operating system password as the default. However, it does not require users to do this. That means that users who fail to secure their Firefox passwords behind a master password are leaving their credentials wide open for anyone to access."

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Jenny105
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HI


@Anonymous wrote:

All joking aside this what I do: Have a different pasword for every site, make it long random mixed case/numbers/ etc, get your device to remember the passwords and auto-enter it for you.

Make sure your device (PC/Laptop/Tablet/Phone) is secure with all security updates and updated anti-virus and configured firewall.

For online payments I usually use Paypal (If available) as your card details are not made available to the website you are using it on. 

Okay the above is not the perfect solution but then nothing is, the most important thing is to keep your device and passwords secure. 


Hi . Thats why i use a coded system . Ive never been happy about saving passwords to my device/. IS IT SAFE?

Thats also why i chose Varied codings 2-3 variables i guess, tho could count as  3-7 variables for each site , but memorable, 12 + long with numbers, charcters and letters. They Always comes up as strong when added to a new site.

I do write them down in coded form of each code .And change them every 9-14m 

Plus i dont use my mobile for passworded sites, nor finance. Use only from home , in conjunction with ESET NOD 32 payments and banking system .No one else uses my device. Codes change every 12m and finance ones vary again.     

The sites always show strong or very strong password when input. BUT as pointed out codes are only safe until cracked. This type of password has been used for about 6 years.   OK

HOW ?  would these be cracked ?                                             ARE these password machines better ?

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