Strong passwords

Your password is the key to your accounts. Let's make it strong. A password is like the key to your house. If someone gets it, they can walk straight in. Criminals use computers that can guess millions of simple passwords very quickly. So your password needs to be hard to guess.

Weak and strong passwords

Weak passwords are short or easy to guess, like one two three four five six, the word password, or your name and birthday. Using the same password everywhere is risky too, because if one website leaks it, all your accounts are open. Strong passwords are long. A great trick is to join three or four random words, like mango, river and bicycle, plus a number. It's easy for you to remember, but very hard for a computer to guess.

Make a passphrase

Pick three or four random words that don't usually go together. Join them together with dashes. Add a number or a symbol at the end. And don't use famous sayings or song lyrics. Computers try those too.

Keep your passwords safe

Never share your password, not even with your best friend. Use a different password for your email and for banking, so one leak can't unlock everything. A password manager can remember your passwords for you. Google Password Manager is free and built into Chrome and Android phones. If you write passwords down, keep the paper somewhere private, never stuck to your screen.

Quick check

Quick check. Which password is the strongest? Ocean pepper lantern fifty eight. It's long, it uses random words, and it's easy to remember. Options: chidi2010; password123; ocean-pepper-lantern-58; 123456789.

Recap

Long passwords beat short ones. Join three or four random words, and add a number. Use a different password for your important accounts. And never share your password with anyone.

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