Make Secure Passwords Part of Your Spring Cleaning
Cybercriminals want our passwords to steal our identities, our data, and our money. And they can crack weak passwords in a matter of seconds. Did you know it takes two seconds to crack an 11- character password that uses only numbers?
Is updating your passwords part of your spring cleaning list? It should be!
This year World Password Day was on May 5. The best way to celebrate is updating your passwords. Also consider setting up multi-factor authentication (MFA) and using a password manager.
Simple tips for updating your passwords:
- Do
- Use a unique password for each site you log into.
- At Yale, we often use our NetID password to access Yale resources. At home, think about your accounts used to access your sensitive information. This can include email, online shopping sites, etc.
- Use a password or passphrase that is long in length. Make it easy for you to remember but hard for others to guess. Information to avoid:
- Names of children and pets
- Letter and number sequences (e.g., 1234, qwerty, abcd)
- Personal information like your email, phone number, or address - Use MFA on any sites that hold your sensitive personal information.
- At Yale, we use MFA to access Yale resources, whether on campus or off. Did you know you can add this extra layer of security to your personal accounts? Consider adding it to common accounts you use, like email and online stores like Amazon.
- Don’t
- Display your password in a location where others can find it.
- Share your passwords with anyone, even people you trust.
- Reuse the same password on multiple accounts.
Check out our Protect Your Identity page for more details. You’ll find tips on creating strong passwords, MFA, and picking a password manager. Then use this handy Spring Clean Your Passwords checklist to get started!