Your password is weaker than you think!

Microsoft offers a online password checker that will tell you how strong your password is. We can never stress enough how important strong passwords are in a layered approach to information security. The other important thing is to have different passwords for different types of logins. You have your password for using your computer at work and quite frankly should be able to use that for any work-related password needs. From a personal standpoint however, the login password you use to read the WSJ online should be different than your online banking password.

We recommend 3 passwords for your personal online activities.

LOW SECURITY - one password for all non sensitive sites that don't store your address or any billing information.

MEDIUM SECURITY - one password for more secure things that include personal information like name, address, phone numbers

HIGH SECURITY - one password for anything that involves storing personal information with data like address, phone, bank account numbers, credit card numbers, insurance information, medical information.

With this plan you never have to remember more than 4 passwords. You should change the Medium and High security ones at minimum every 6 months. Your systems at work should be prompting you to change your password there on a regular basis as well.

ALWAYS make sure that your password at work is not the same as ANY of the above passwords. Your company may know or audit your password to ensure that it meets the company’s own security policies and procedures, especially when there is a regulatory compliance requirement.