Tips for a More Secure Password

Some people treat passwords as an inconvenience rather than an important layer of protection. A good password that you never share is as important as the lock on the door of your home.
 

• Why use a complex password?
• Remembering complex passwords
• Don't let anyone know your password
• Don't use the same password for all sites
• Change your passwords frequently

The best passwords are complex, memorable and always kept secret. Follow these tips and you'll be taking an important step toward making sure your personal information stays confidential when you access it online.

Why use a complex password?

Some users of our website have told us that the site's requirement for a complex password is inconvenient. Some have even suggested that if they want to use a very simple password they should be allowed to do so because they're putting only their own information at risk and not jeopardizing others.

That assertion is not true. Website security measures are only as strong as their weakest link, and even one user with a simple password would represent a weak link in our security system. Consequently, we require a complex password (Passwords are case sensitive, must be 6-8 characters in length, and contain at least two letters and two numbers. No spaces or special characters, please. Example: jseb72) to access account information.

People often create simple passwords in the interest of making them easy to remember. Unfortunately, they wind up with passwords that are easy to guess. Common examples of easy-to-guess passwords include phone numbers, birthdates, names of relatives, or even the word "password."

Names or words that can be found in a dictionary don't make good passwords because they're easy for thieves to crack. Software programs exist that do nothing but crack passwords. Basic versions of these programs can try 2.7 million letter combinations per second. It doesn't take very long to try every word in the dictionary at a rate of 2.7 million words per second.

To make guessing or cracking your password more difficult, you can create a complex password that includes a combination of numbers and letters that doesn't spell any real words. You can go a step further by using both upper and lower case letters.

Remembering complex passwords

A complex password doesn't have to be difficult for you to remember. A simple mnemonic device can help you create a password that's both easy to remember and sufficiently complex.

For instance, if your mother drove a blue Chevrolet when you were 12, you might consider basing your password on the sentence "When I was 12, Mom drove a blue Chevy." Combine the first letter of each word plus the number at the end, and you get "WIw12MdabC" as a complex password you can easily remember by reciting the sentence.

Don't let anyone know your password

Keeping your password a secret means not sharing it with anyone and not writing it down where others may find it. Memorizing the password is usually the best option. However, if you must write it down, be certain you keep it somewhere secure. If you think someone has discovered your password, change it as soon as you can and keep the new one a secret. Otherwise, that person could log in pretending to be you and manipulate personal information for criminal or malicious purposes.

Don't use the same password for all sites

Chances are you visit more than one website that requires a password. If that's the case, you should have different passwords for all the sites where you access personal financial information.

Hackers who steal passwords from one site are known to try those same passwords on other sites. If you use different passwords, a security breach on one site won't put your information on other sites in jeopardy.

Yes, it takes some effort to remember different complex passwords for all the sites you visit. However, keeping personal information secure is worth the effort.

Change your passwords frequently

Some sites require you to change your password after a certain number of days as a part of their security procedures. However, even when a site doesn't require it, you may want to consider taking this additional precaution and change your passwords at least once a year. You may even want to consider changing them quarterly or monthly, depending on your own comfort level.

If you're a registered user of this website, you can easily change your password on our site. Log in and click "My Profile" in the navigation under the "Account Info" tab. The My Profile page contains a link for making changes to your password.