Keeping Windows 8.1 Safe and Secure

  • 11/15/2013

Improving your password habits

No matter how good the security products you are using are, you are still vulnerable to many security problems if your habits related to password use are poor. Many people tend to use the same one-two-three passwords everywhere. This is a sure recipe for security problems, including security problems with your Microsoft account, your Facebook and Google accounts, and any other accounts. If you use the same password everywhere, a malicious user might break into a forum or social website you are using and steal your password from there. That user can then use the same password and the email address with which you registered to access more of your personal data and information from your Inbox, accounts on social networks, and so on.

To make sure it is much more difficult for unwanted parties to access your Windows-based computer, your Microsoft account, your email inbox, and any online services you are using, consider the following recommendations regarding password use.

  • Do not use passwords with fewer than six characters. They are especially easy to break.

  • Ideally, your passwords should be at least eight characters long and include letters, numbers, and special characters such as +, #, $, and so on.

  • Do not use the same password twice or more.

  • Having different passwords for different accounts can be difficult to manage, so using password management solutions such as LastPass, KeePass, or Roboform is also recommended. You can find them easily with a search on Bing. These solutions help you identify your duplicate passwords, change them to new random passwords, generate secure passwords automatically, and store them safely so that you can use them whenever needed and not lose them again.