Password security

05.17.11 Posted in Hints and Tips by Mathew

Recently this story appeared in the courier mail, focused on the woman how lost a weeks wages to online thieves.

Before I tell you how you should be setting your passwords, I’d draw attention to this quote from the victim;

“It was definitely a shock – the fact that someone was pretending to be me and could log into something that’s supposed to be secure.”

What needs to be clearly understood, is that services like Internet banking and paypal are only as secure at the person who’s using them. You need to use these services properly to avoid this happening to you,

Here are the key tips for staying secure online;

Use a different password for each website or service you sign up for
Make your passwords at least 8 characters long, 12 for banking and finance sites
Include letters, numbers and symbols in your passwords
Make sure your password is totally random gibberish
Where available, get a security token for your account
Ensure you have good quality and updated anti virus software on your computer

Follow these simple tips and your money should stay safe.