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Security Tip #1 – Create a Strong Password

Password tips to keep your identity and data safe online.

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In celebration of National Cyber Security Awareness Month, we’ll be sharing some of our favorite tips to help keep your identity and data safe from hackers.

One of the best ways to keep yourself safe online is to set up a strong password that will be difficult for hackers to crack. Here are a few tips to create a strong password:

– Use a passphrase – Make sure the password contains a mix of upper case letters, special characters, and numbers. The more characters the better.

– Do not use birth dates, names of pets or family members, or a well known nickname – All of this information could easily be found from your social media account.

– Do not use the same password for all of your accounts – This makes it easy for a hacker to get into all of your accounts.

– Consider using a password manager – A password manager stores all of your passwords in one place and you would only need to remember one, the password that gets you into your password manager.

Additional resources:

How long would it take a hacker to crack your password? Find out here: Passfault.

SANS Institute OUCH! Newsletter: Passwords. Download PDF.

SANS Institute OUCH! Newsletter: Password Managers. Download PDF.

View a video on creating a strong password from the College’s anti-virus software provider, Sophos:

 

Have more questions? Please contact the Information Technology Helpdesk at 540-375-2225 or helpdesk@roanoke.edu.