Improve your password security!

Your passwords are like the keys to your home. If they fall into the wrong hands, criminals can get inside your accounts and steal your information.

To protect your bank details and personal information, it’s vital that the passwords to your most important accounts are:

Prioritise your email security

If someone breaks into your email account they could access your other online accounts using the ‘forgot password’ feature, or access personal information which they can later use in an attempt to defraud you or people you know.

This is why you should always use a strong and separate password for your email account.

Ideally, you should do the same for other accounts such as your social media and online shopping accounts. That way, if one account is hacked, a criminal won’t be able to access your other accounts using the same password.

Here are 3 top tips for improving your password security.

On this page:

1. Create strong passwords using ‘3 random words’

Weak passwords can be cracked in seconds. The longer and more unusual your password is, the harder it is for a criminal to crack.

A good way to make sure your passwords are ‘long enough and strong enough’ is to combine 3 random words to create a unique password which is easy to remember. Like CactusBicyclePants. Or MoonBellowGiraffe.

It’s up to you which 3 words you choose. And you can include capital letters, numbers and special characters if the website requires them (Cactus.3icycle!Pants). Just make sure you choose a different set of words for each account you create.

To keep your accounts secure:

2. Use a password manager to keep track of your passwords

The problem with having lots of different passwords is that they can be difficult to remember. This is where a password manager can help.

A password manager is a tool that generates, stores and protects all your passwords. Any personal information stored in a password manager is encrypted, protecting it from criminals. It can only be unlocked with your ‘master’ password – so you only have one password to remember.

There are two main types of password manager: app and browser.

With an app, your passwords are safely stored in a dedicated password manager app on your phone, tablet or computer. You may need to pay a subscription for this type of password manager.

On a browser, your passwords are saved securely to a password manager built in to your web browser (for example Chrome, Safari, Edge).

Your browser may offer to create and remember a password for you. As long as you’re on a device you don’t share with anyone else, it’s safe for you to do this.

A password manager is a great way to securely store your passwords, as you only need to remember one ‘master’ password. However, if a criminal gets hold of that password, they will have access to all your accounts.

We therefore strongly recommend that you take the following steps to protect your password manager account:

Most web browsers will offer to save your passwords for you when you register or log in to accounts. When you return to the website or app, the browser will autofill the password for you. As long as you’re on a device you don’t share with anyone else, it’s safe for you to do this.

3. Change default passwords and PINs on smart devices

Many people have smart devices in their homes – TVs, games consoles, fridges, thermostats and others, which are connected to the internet. These devices often come with default passwords or PIN codes which are easy to guess, like 0000. To protect your smart devices from criminals you should: