Week 2: Use a strong password and password manager

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Creating passwords

Creating something that is easy to remember but hard to guess is key to a successful password. Incorporate a favorite quote, song title, or your favorite sports player into your password to make it more complex and harder to guess.

Don’t reuse the same password across multiple websites. If one of those sites gets compromised, hackers will try to use that same password on other frequently visited sites as well. No matter the account, all passwords should be created with these three words in mind:

Complex – At least 12 characters.
Unique – Never reuse passwords. Each account needs its own unique password.
Memorable – Use a combination of upper- and lower-case letters, numbers, and special characters. Be creative, making your password memorable yet unique.

Visit the Tips: Strong Passwords knowledge based articles to learn more on how you can protect yourself, your peers, and our university. #BeCyberSmart

Storing your passwords

You always hear about creating a secure password, but how do you keep your secure passwords secure? A password manager app can help you remember (or forget) passwords.

A password manager saves and stores all your passwords in a single app — just like your old password notebook, but so much more secure!

You only have to remember one password, which signs you into the password manager to access the rest of your saved logins and passwords. This also means you can (and should!) create different and more complex passwords for each account and keep yourself well ahead of any hackers!

If you haven’t already, be sure to install a password manager. And never write passwords down (throw out that old password notebook!). Password managers not only save and store the unique passwords for all of your online accounts, they also: