Passwords
It's just a password, and why would anyone want my identity anyways?
Think of your passwords as your social security number or driver's license. You would never give them
out to a perfect stranger, or just leave them sitting unprotected, right? Don't make the mistake of making it easy
for someone to gain access to your computer. There actually are severe repercussions to lax security.
Someone with access to your personal information could order any number of credit cards in your name, and
happily rack up purchases on your credit. Or they may use your computer to attack another one, maybe steal
restricted data. Why open yourself up to legal problems when a little forethought can save you the trouble?
Here are a few simple tips to protect yourself:
Scramble it up
Create a phrase with different characters: spaces, capitals, punctuation marks, or numbers. But don't replace predictable characters,
like 'P@ssword'. They're extremely easy to guess. Create something interesting and personal such as 'Mydog $potis great!' It's an
easy passphrase for you to remember, with all the little characters to keep others out.
Keep it secret, keep it safe
Sage advice. Passwords are passwords for a reason- secrecy! Never write your password or passphrase down, and certainly never tell
another person. Office gossip certainly has proved that if you tell a secret to one person in the morning, it'll be headline news
by lunchtime.
Password levels
Many security sites advocate a tiered approach to password usage. Have one light password, maybe 'spot', for sites that you don't care
if everyone in the house accesses, like your tvguide login. Then escalate difficulty and length for more personal accounts. Try switching
to a different language, Klingon would certainly be difficult to guess, or making the passphrase a phrase from your favorite book or poem.
Even a movie quote that's personal to you would work for your more secure passwords. All of this ensures that not only is the passphrase
difficult to guess, but it makes a long passphrase easier for you to remember.
Keep aware!
There are more scams running around than there are high school football teams. The most popular is called Phishing, and is usually an email
scam to get your information. Keep a watch on where links are really going to, and when in doubt, type in the address of the site
yourself. Keep an eye on your accounts, watch for any unusual activity or unauthorized access. The more vigilant you are in monitoring
your accounts, the less likely you are to fall victim to identity theft, and the quicker you can respond if it ever does happen.
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