Your Password Isn't Good Enough – Here's How To Fix It

Dylan Love

2013-01-28T20:18:00Z

Today being Data Privacy Day and all, it's a perfect time to revisit that most basic element of internet security – the password.

Just because your password replaces an "E" with a "3" and ends in an exclamation point doesn't make you invincible.

Here are some pointers to see how secure your password is and then pick a newer, stronger password if needed.

First of all, make sure you're not using one of these passwords

An analysis of hacked Yahoo accounts reveals some interesting trends in commonly-chosen passwords, reports The Star.

"123456" is at the top of the list, followed by "qwerty," "welcome," "ninja," and abc123." If these sound like passwords of yours, it's time to make a change.

Make them long

Longer passwords are obviously harder to crack. Make sure you're consistently exceeding the minimum length requirement on passwords that you pick.

Here's an easy way to remember a complicated password

Lifehacker offers the following tip to make sure you're using a relatively complex password while having no problem remembering it.

"I always tell people to use a sentence. I drive a 1978 Volkswagen! = IDA78VW! or Living At Home Since 1972 Sux = L@HS72SX"

Don't use the same password for everything

If someone successfully cracks one password, it'll be the first password he guesses for your next web service. Make sure you're using several different passwords to prevent this from happening.

Invent an system to generate new passwords

Use a simple rule set to generate new passwords for each service you're logging in to. Start with a base password and have a rule for attaching characters from the service onto the base.

For example, if your base is "a12b" and you want to log into Gmail, you might throw "gml" on the end, making your complete password "a12bgml."

Change it often

Switching passwords a few times a year makes it even more difficult for your account to be hacked.

Use two-step verification for Google

Google offers two-step verification for your account -- once a month you'll receive a text message that you'll have to type in before entering your normal password. It's one more thing we recommend doing to keep you safe online.