"Password cannot start or end with a number" 

“Password cannot contain a letter" 

Sometimes it feels like in order to log onto a website you’d have to type in a 100 character password, submit a genetic sample, and rub your belly and tap your head at the same time. Raise your digital hand if you agree!

The truth is, passwords are a pain. BUT they are good for you! Privacy should always be top of mind. 

Here are five tips for you to stay safe online:

Let’s start off with the NO NO NO or some of the biggest password mistakes people make:

1. Not password-protecting your mobile device. Believe it or not, 52% of people are guilty of this. When setting your device password, it’s smart to avoid common choices like “1234,” “0000,” or “5683″ (which spells “love”)

2. “Remembering” passwords on a device. Never use the “save” or “remember me” options on a public computer. The next user could easily access your account.

3. Recycling the same passwords. Reusing the same password for your email, banking and social media accounts - don’t do it. We all hate resetting our passwords every three months. As soon as you start to remember your password by heart, you end up having to reset it! But hey, it's better to be safe than sorry, right?

4. Being too familiar. Don’t use  dates or names of loved ones or anything else that can be found with some online research and GOOGLE. While these may seem simple, some of us need the reminder if we don’t have our IT team to give us the nudge. And hey, I’d rather be on IT’s good side, wouldn’t you?
   
   Ok so what should you do? 
   

5. Use two-factor authentication where possible. This requires two different methods to prove identity before you can use a service 

Did you know the most common passwords include 123456, password, and qwerty? I know, it’s hard to believe, but according to the National Cyber Security Center’s global breach analysis - those make the list of the most common passwords in the U.S.

So, what makes a good password?

• A good rule is to make sure that somebody who knows you well couldn’t guess your password in 20 attempts. 

• Use a combination of upper & lowercase letters, non-sequential numbers, and special characters! 

• Expand to 12, 16, or even more to give you a stronger password, even if the requirement is 6-9 characters. 

So there you have it, learn more about how to setup a strong password on CompTIA’s site and check out this FREE resource developed to keep you safe online (and it’ll make you look like a star student to your IT department)!

This blog was sponsored by CompTIA.org