Happy VV0rld P@55w0rd Day!

Bet you didn't know passwords had their own day! Ok, I didn't know that either until very recently. Still, it's a good  excuse to remind everyone of some basic password strategy to help keep your private stuff, well, private. And for that, I went to the source --- Norton. Norton is an internet security company that's been around as long as there's been an internet to secure. Here's their excellent tips for good password generation.‍

1. Do not use personal information

‍Hopefully, this one is obvious, but really, don't use stuff, like birthdays, first or last names, pet names, or phone numbers.

‍2. Do not use real words.

‍While using "letmein" might be funny and easy to remember, it's also super insecure and easily hackable.

‍3. Go long.

‍Longer passwords are harder to crack. Norton suggests 10 characters or longer.

‍4. Modify an easy-to-remember phrase.

‍So, for example, if your fave song is "Rolling In The Deep" by Adele, you could modify it to RollinITDAdele.

‍5. Don't write them down.

‍Another one that should be obvious, but writing down your passwords is the very definition of insecure.

‍6. Use unique passwords for every application.

‍In other,words, don't reuse passwords. If you use the same password everywhere, then if ANY of those passwords get breached, then ALL of those accounts that use it are now compromised.

‍7. Use a password manager

‍The best solution in my opinion, is to use a password manager. Google has one built into their Chrome browser, or use other popular ones like LastPass - these will literally create and manage passwords for you, with highly secure password suggestions.

So keep your stuff good and secure, and you won't have to celebrate World Forgot My Password Day!