Experience every day shows that online safety tips on protecting your passwords are necessary even when security precautions in general are very easy to establish.
So I want to ask you if you would ever do the following: Jump into a large swimming pool with sharks, even after you just happened to cut yourself and have a bleeding wound?
Just wondering if that would be you.
Probably not, however instead of using online safety tips this is actually what a large number of all types of web surfers do even if they know that there is a risk that some scam artist could grab their badly protected passwords and get into their important files.
It is a fact that even the youngest school kid might be able to get access to the passwords of their classmates, teachers, parents and others. Forgetting to take this into consideration is like thinking:
"Very well but this is not going to happen to me, maybe my neighbor, but never to me!"
That attitude is not going to help you when your password is out in the open, your money disappears from your bank accounts, somebody using your identity suddenly turns up with an enormous debt that you are asked to pay, your secret files suddenly appear on Facebook or at your competitor, and the ideas and products you have been working so long time with are suddenly promoted by someone who luckily found them in your files.
So here are my online safety tips on how to protect your passwords.
The very first place to secure and protect your passwords and provide online safety is where you are in control: your own computer and the security you decide to provide there.
There are some absolutely obvious things to do that everybody knows, but still don't respect enough to implement. Anyhow I am going to mention them here just to make sure you get it and also add some other important tips.
1: Make your password as difficult as possible to hack.
- So what does that mean?At least ten digits that are a mix of numbers, letters and symbols. It is much more difficult for hackers to crack a long password with this mix.
- Your passwords do not contain your name, social security number, your birthday, your bank account number or any other personal information.
- You can add a keyboard combination plus alternate with upper and lower case letters.
- Your password is something you can remember but not easy for others to guess.
- Be careful where you keep your passwords filed if they are difficult to remember and how you file them, which means: Don't write your pin number to your debit/credit card with permanent ink on the card itself.
2: Don't use the same password everywhere you need a password.
- If a scam artist finds your password one place the next thing is to try use the same password other places in your online system which can result in access to everything you have on and off the internet.
- To make the password easier to remember for you try to use variations of the same password.
3: Change your password often.
Some people change at least the important passwords to their bank accounts or special files once every second month. Other places you can secure yourself by changing the password two to four times a year.
4: Don't write your passwords, bank account numbers and like in emails, on Facebook and other Social Media.
5: Never tempt anybody by being careless at the ATM.
Always use the more secure enclosed ATM Machines.
So if you still have the attitude: "Tough, but this doesn't happen to me," think about your family or other people depending on you and your security online.
How you protect your passwords does make a difference.
These online safety tips don't even cost you anything - only a few recurring actions from you a couple of times a year to protect your passwords.
Hope this is helpful and if you want to know more please have a look at my blog Online Business Web-Trotters where you can find more information and online safety tips.
Pia Balling
PIA BALLING is a former international tennis player and entrepreneur
She is driven to make life a wonderful and exiting experience for as many people as possible by supporting health and a rich life living through coaching.
It took her a lifetime to find the balance after long and strenuous periods of economic ups and downs as well as difficult personal times.
Now she has finally arrived to live a wonderful fascinating happy life.
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