![]() While this is true, password length is more important than complexity, which is why passphrases often make the best passwords. Good password ideas satisfy all three of those requirements.Ĭomplexity is often used as a key criterion of a secure password - meaning that you should use a mixture of uppercase and lowercase letters as well as numbers and symbols. That means using a minimum of 15 characters, using words or phrases that are hard to guess and difficult to connect to you, and never reusing passwords across multiple accounts. ![]() The best, most powerful and strongest passwords are long, hard-to-guess, and unique. There’s no clear threshold for how long passwords should be to be considered “strong.” In general, longer and more complex passwords are stronger and better. Making your password longer and more complex increases the number of attempts an attacker would need to successfully crack it - with sufficient complexity you can make your password essentially uncrackable. Short, generic, and easy-to-remember passwords are weak, because they can be easy to guess or vulnerable to brute-force attacks. Long, complex passwords or passphrases that mix groups of words together are very strong. Password strength is a measure of how long or how many attempts it would take for an attacker who doesn’t have access to the password to guess it correctly. If in doubt, go directly to the official website of the bank or other service you’re trying to access using your own bookmark or by typing the legitimate address of the service yourself.A strong password is one that’s difficult for someone to guess or a program to hack. Scammers can copy the look of a company’s communications to fool you into clicking a phony link or attachment, so use caution with links that appear in unsolicited emails, social media, or SMS messages. Never share your password in response to an email or phone call - for example, to verify your identity - even if it appears to be from a trusted company or person.Īlways access websites using trusted links. Treat all unexpected requests for sensitive info with caution. For example, a crook may have hijacked a friend’s account and sent email to everyone in the friend’s address book. Here are some guidelines to follow to protect your passwords and other sensitive information:īe wary of anyone who is requesting sensitive info from you, even if it appears to be someone you know or a company you trust. (You may have heard these con games referred to as " social engineering".) If you receive an email message that appears to be from an online store (like eBay or Amazon) or a phone call from your “bank” that tries to convince you of the “legitimate” need for your password or other sensitive information, it could be a phishing scam. (Just be sure they make sense to you, so you'll remember them.) Don’t be tricked into revealing your passwordsĬriminals can try to break your password, but sometimes it’s easier to exploit human nature and trick you into revealing it. For example, if the question is "Where were you born?" you might answer "Green." Answers like these can’t be found by trolling Twitter or Facebook. Tip: If you’re asked to create answers to security questions, provide an unrelated answer. Don't write them on sticky notes or cards that you keep near the thing the password protects, even if you think they're well-hidden. It's ok to write your passwords down, as long as you keep them secure. See Save or forget passwords in Microsoft Edge. Microsoft Edge can remember your passwords for you and automatically fill them in for you when needed. The best password managers will automatically update stored passwords, keep them encrypted, and require multi-factor authentication for access. If you don’t want to memorize multiple passwords, consider using a password manager. That's called a " Credential stuffing attack" and it's extremely common. If crooks steal your account information from one site, they'll try to use those credentials on hundreds of other well-known websites, such as banking, social media, or online shopping, hoping you've reused the password elsewhere. Never send a password by email, instant message, or any other means of communication that is not reliably secure. Once you’ve created a strong password, follow these guidelines to keep it secure:ĭon’t share a password with anyone. ![]() See Use Password Generator to create secure passwords. ![]() Tip: Don't want to think up your own strong passwords? Microsoft Edge can create and remember strong, unique, passwords for you.
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