Cyber Security Awareness Tip of the Day: October 10

When I began this series of "Tip of the Day", I did not know what kind of response I would receive from the sites where I asked for suggestions. Interestingly, two LandzDown members, R-C (ravencajun) and Eric The Red provided two resources that included reference material for today's tip of the day.

October 10 Tip of the Day:

Do not use the same password for every site and make sure the password you use is a strong password.

As reported by Threadwatch.org, PC Magazine listed the 10 most commonly used passwords online:

1. password
2. 123456
3. qwerty
4. abc123
5. letmein
6. monkey
7. myspace1
8. password1
9. blink182
10. (your first name)

If you are using any of the above or other simple passwords or combinations of repeating letters or numbers, your personal information is in jeopardy. See the references following for help creating a strong password.

Edit Note: After creating a new, strong password, use the Microsoft Password Checker.

US-CERT's Cyber Security Tips, suggested by Eric the Red, describes and offers advice about common security issues for non-technical computer users. Included in the collection is Cyber Security Tip ST04-002 which describes passwords:

"Passwords are a common form of authentication and are often the only barrier between a user and your personal information. There are several programs attackers can use to help guess or "crack" passwords, but by choosing good passwords and keeping them confidential, you can make it more difficult for an unauthorized person to access your information."

Not to be outdone, the reference suggested by R-C, 7 Online Blunders in ConsumerReports.org links to another helpful article, How to tame the password tangle: Four dos and four don’ts for managing your PINs and security codes.

My favorite article is provided by Microsoft, Strong passwords: How to create and use them.

Remember - "A day without laughter is a day wasted."
May the wind sing to you and the sun rise in your heart...