As the world we live in continues to rely more and more heavily on technology, sometimes the only thing protecting your private business, and personal information, from the outside world is a password.

A password or a passphrase should be considered a wall between free access to your personal information and the world. The stronger the wall, the more difficult it is for others to break down. The more walls, the more difficult it is to even access the information. Encryption is the easiest way to ensure communications between an electronic device and a website or server is protected. 

Aside from using encryption, here are some tips to remember when setting up passwords:

 

• Avoid easy passwords- A strong password has at least 15 characters, mixed with uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols.

• Make them creative- A password shouldn’t be something that can be easily be found online, such as your pet’s name, your mother’s maiden name, the town you grew up in, etc.

• Use a “passphrase”-Instead of using a single word, use a phrase, and be sure to include numbers and symbols as well. 

• Use multiple passwords- It is important to have a different password for every different account you have.

• Use multi-factor authentication- This requires both your password and an additional piece of information upon logging in. The second piece is generally a code sent to your phone or a random number generated by an app.

• Consider a password manager- These easy-to-access apps store all your password information and security question answers in case you ever forget.

 

If you ever receive notification from a company about a possible breach, it is always best practice to change that password and any similar passwords immediately. Log in yourself, and never use the log-in link supplied in the password alert.

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Learn more about cybersecurity at Michigan.gov/mc3 and bbb.org.