Take care of your passwords

This cartoon film raises awareness about passwords. Messy passwords can backfire

What is a secure password?

Your passwords - the passwords you enter to access a computer system or software - are the most important protection against misuse of your digital identity and personal data. So choose them wisely.

If hackers get hold of your passwords, things can go horribly wrong. For example, they can inconvenience you personally or take down your entire computer. It can also affect our entire organisation, and confidential information can be spread all over the place.

A strong password is long and should be easy to remember - and: you should only use each password in one place.

Hive Systems has created this chart that shows how little - or how much - time a hacker needs to guess your password and break in, depending on how many and which characters you have used in your password:

Codes are stored by your computer

Be aware that if, for example, your browser (Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox or other web browsers) stores your passwords, other users of your PC will be able to access your personally protected data and files. And remember, even the best password is useless if you leave your machine without locking it.

Smartphones and tablets

It's important that you lock your smartphone and tablet with a secure code. The code should be so secure that unauthorised persons will have a hard time guessing it. This way you can prevent strangers from accessing your private or confidential information if you lose your mobile devices.

All smartphones and tablets offer the option in "Settings" to choose a "secure" code instead of the standard four-digit PIN code. You should activate this option immediately.

A secure password is characterised by a password that cannot be easily guessed.

If it is difficult to remember

Use a password manager for your passwords.

You will need different passwords for private and work use. And preferably different codes for different services. It's difficult - even impossible! - to remember so many passwords, and it's tempting to write them down or reuse the same code in many places.

A much better solution is to use a password manager that can be installed on your smartphone or computer.

KeePass and LastPass are examples of reputable programmes that make password management affordable and secure.