Microsoft has recently given some tips on setting passwords correctly in the Security Tips section of Microsoft blog. To surprise of many there are many people who still use passwords like ‘password’ or ‘123456’. We are well aware of the fact that fraudulence has increased to a great extent and internet is a hub for theft and several other cyber crimes. Some commonly used passwords that can be easily detected are ‘password’ ‘letmein’ ‘123456’ ‘monkey’ ‘pets name’ , spouse or children’s name and so on.
Microsoft strongly suggests not to use any of the above passwords. You must never use sequential series of numbers or alphabets like ‘abcde’ or ‘qwerty’. It was kind of unbelievable that people do use ‘password’ as their password. A strong password is a combination of alphabets, numbers and some special symbols.
We do have a habit of keeping the same passwords for every account we operate. Even if the password is a strong one, do not use the same password for all websites. You must change your passwords every month or 15 days or 3 months. Keeping the same password is deleterious for your safety. Hackers crack passwords from websites having poor security build and use it for all other accounts. In case all your passwords are same, you will be ruined. Use at least 10 sets of passwords or a considerable number of passwords. Keep the passwords long but not long enough that you forget them before the next login.
This is a great approach of Microsoft to aware users and you can check your password strength from their Safety and Security Centre
