Secure your personal information!
How to secure your IDs and passwords

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From online shopping to social media, work, and banking, now everyday transaction happens online, and you will need to set your IDs and passwords for the services to access them. Every time you join for a membership or create an account with a service provider, you will be creating IDs and passwords to secure your accounts from others.

An ID is a unique identifier of a user. And a password is an authentication credential for secured access though the ID. In other words, you can only access your account when you enter the correct ID and password combination. Your account often contains a lot of personal information required by the service, and your personal information will be protected from potential leaks only if your password is created and kept securely.

    How to choose an ID:

As they are often viewed by the public, you do not want to include personal information such as name, birth dates, and so on in the ID. You may use your private nicknames that are not known to others to protect the personal information. You should not use the same ID for all of your social media accounts and other online services.

    How to choose a password:

You should be more careful with a password than an ID. Passwords should be sufficiently long and made up of a combination of small and capital letters, numbers, and special characters. You should avoid using common words and personal information and should not repeat same letters or numbers. Using a password generator to create a random password is a way to go. For sensitive accounts, you should activate two-factor authentication for additional security. Let’s take a deeper look.

1. Length: passwords should be at least or longer than 8 characters. In general, longer passwords are safer.
2. Complexity: passwords should be a mix of small and capital letters, numbers, and special characters. For example, you can create a complex password such as P@ssw0rd!
3. Avoid personal information: you should not use your personal information such as name, birth dates, and telephone numbers or their combination. Hackers may use them while trying to crack your password.
4. Avoid words in dictionary: it is easy to crack passwords made of dictionary words. You can replace certain letters with special characters, such as @ instead of “a”.
5. Arbitrary: passwords should be arbitrary to avoid being easily guessed. You can use a password generator, or you can just combine random letters, numbers, and special characters.
6. Regular update: you should change your passwords regularly. You can update your passwords at a set term to increase security.
7. Activate two-factor authentication: you can require another layer of security to the password, typically requiring authentication code sent via mobile application, text message or email.

Securing IDs and passwords help you protect your personal information and secure your online account. People usually have a lot of online accounts. When a weak password leaks, all of your other accounts are at risk. You should use strong and unique passwords for different accounts for multi-layered security. Especially, for online shopping and financial transaction, a strong password is of utmost importance. If your credit card information or financial data is vulnerable to hackers, it can lead to your financial ruin.

Take this opportunity to review your online IDs and passwords today and make them stronger for heightened security. No matter what. You must regularly update your passwords.