Seven Tips to Protect Yourself Online with Better Passwords
Passwords are difficult to maintain, but they’re still one of the most important lines of defense protecting your personal and financial information. The key (pun intended) to preventing your accounts from being hacked, whether they’re your digital banking or social media accounts, is to use strong, unique passwords across all of your accounts. A recent People article reported that nearly 150 million email and social media accounts could be affected by ‘stolen passwords’. That includes platforms such as Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook, TikTok, Facebook, and many more.
The good news? Creating strong passwords doesn’t require advanced technical skills. With a few smart habits, you can dramatically reduce your risk of fraud, identity theft, and account takeovers. Below are seven proven best practices to help you create stronger passwords and remember them without frustration.
1. Use Long Passwords or Passphrases
Length matters more than complexity alone. A longer password is much harder to crack, even if it uses familiar words.
Best practice:
- Aim for 12–16 characters or more.
- Consider a passphrase made of several unrelated words.
- Example: RiverSunsetCoffeeBike!
Passphrases are easier to remember and far more secure than short, complex-looking passwords.
2. Never Reuse Passwords Across Accounts
Reusing passwords is one of the biggest risks people take online. If one site is compromised, criminals often try the same credentials on other accounts, such as banking, email, and shopping.
Best practice:
- Use a unique password for every important account, especially:
- Online banking
- Payment apps
- Retail and subscription services
Think of every password as a single-use key. One lock, one key.
3. Avoid Personal or Predictable Information
Cybercriminals don’t guess randomly—they use information from social media, public records, and data breaches.
Avoid using:
- Names of family members or pets
- Birthdays or anniversaries
- Phone numbers or addresses
- Common substitutions like P@ssw0rd
If someone could guess it or find it online, it doesn’t belong in your password.
4. Mix in Capital Letters and Symbols to Make Passwords Stronger
Once you have a long, unique password or passphrase, adding a mix of capital letters, numbers, and symbols makes it even harder for criminals to crack.
Best practice:
- Capitalize letters in uncommon places (not just the first letter)
- Add symbols like ! @ # $ % where they feel natural
- Replace spaces in passphrases using symbols.
- Example: River!Sunset#Coffee$Bike
Avoid predictable patterns like capitalizing only the first letter or adding “!” at the end every time. Small variations go a long way in strengthening your password.
5. Use a Password Manager (and Let It Do the Heavy Lifting)
Remembering dozens of strong, distinctive passwords is tough unless you use a password manager.
Best practice:
- Use a reputable password manager to:
- Generate strong passwords automatically.
- Store them securely
- Autofill logins safely
With a password manager, you only need to remember one strong master password, and the rest is handled for you.
6. Add Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) Wherever Possible
Even the strongest password is safer with a second layer of protection.
Best practice:
- Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) on important accounts.
- This may include:
- A one-time code sent to your phone
- A biometric login (fingerprint or face ID)
- An authenticator app
MFA helps protect your account even if a password is compromised.
7. Change Passwords When There’s a Reason — Not Just a Notice
You don’t need to change passwords constantly, but you should act quickly if there’s a warning sign.
Change your password if:
- A company reports a data breach.
- You receive an alert that your credentials were exposed.
- You notice suspicious account activity.
Quick action can prevent small concerns from becoming costly problems.
Final Thought: Strong Passwords Are All About Peace of Mind
Strong passwords aren’t about being perfect; they’re about being prepared. By using unique, long passwords and smart tools, you significantly reduce the chances of fraudsters gaining access to your accounts.
A few small changes today can help protect your money, your identity, and your peace of mind tomorrow.