There are few simple rules you can follow in order to select a good password:
- Use secure passwords for your accounts. A secure password is the one that can not be easily guessed. For example “123456” is not a secure password, but “1qA34fRm5” can be considered secure.
- Don’t tell your password to anyone. Remember, your password identifies you in the network. If anyone else knows it he/she can use your account.
- Don’t write your password on a sticky note or other easily reachable place where everybody can see it.
- Change your password from time to time.
A good password is a balance: it must be easy enough to remember, but complex enough to resist guessing by others. Here are several examples of how a few simple characters and numbers can achieve this:
| OK Password: | Better Password: | Excellent Password: |
| kitty | 1Kitty | 1Ki77y |
| susan | Susan53 | .Susan53 |
| jellyfish | jelly22fish | j3lly22fish |
| smellycat | sm3llycat | $m3llycat |
| allblacks | a11Blacks | a11Black$ |
| usher | !usher | !ush3r |
| ebay44 | ebay.44 | &ebay.44 |
| deltagamma | deltagamm@ | d3ltagamm@ |
| ilovemypiano | !LoveMyPiano | !Lov3MyPiano |
| Sterling | SterlingGmail2014 | SterlingGmail20.14 |
| BankLogin | BankLogin13 | BankLogin!3 |
| Shelby | ShelbyPass1 | Shelby.Pass1. |
| Rolltide | RollTide% | RollTide%.% |
We don’t want to make you a paranoid. These rules are simple and easy to follow, but it’s up to you to choose.