Passwords are a necessary defense tool. Along with usernames they allow the user to be uniquely identified. This allows the customer to make a purchase and not be confused with another customer or account. It also allows particular permissions to be given. Companies use passwords and usernames to allow and deny employees and customers access to particular files.
Passwords are secrets. Internet users, friends or co-workers should not share passwords. Users should only share passwords with persons responsible for their personal safety and actions such as a parent or employer.
Passwords can protect individual files and folders on your home computer from other users who use the same computer. But they also can allow or deny access to secured areas of websites where personal, account, banking or credit information is kept. Keep in mind that some computer operating systems have a "search" or "find" feature by default that can locate the name of password-protected files and folders even if the files themselves can't be opened without the correct password.
- Don't keep your passwords on your hard drive, displayed near your computer, or in your wallet. Don't allow passwords to become common knowledge among your friends or coworkers. Make your passwords as senseless as possible with a combination of numbers, small letters, capital letters, and keyboard characters such as: \ / : * ? " < > &
- Avoid using common knowledge about yourself like your birthday, pet's name, nicknames, social security number, phone numbers, or house numbers and use a different password for each website and account.
- Change each password on a regular basis.
- Usually a website will tell you the minimum number of characters required for a password. Typically, it is 6 or 8. But, the more the amount of characters in the password, the better.
- Don't log into protected or secure areas while using a "borrowed" computer at a library, an internet café or hotel business center. You don't have a way to know if an infector or monitoring software is installed without the system owner's knowledge.
- When you are at a secure website, like your bank, and the website requires you to answer questions of your choosing (such as your mother's maiden name or the name of your oldest sibling) for online verification (not for verification of your identity to open an account), don't answer these questions truthfully. Answer instead with a combination of letters and numbers or a common word that doesn't make sense such as table or pan. This is another layer of security to identify you from an imposter. For example, you do not want to put in your mother’s real maiden name or any answer that can possibly be found from research or perhaps known by people you casually know.