Would you hand over the keys of your home or car to any stranger and walk away unconcerned? Certainly not! That would be absurd. 

If you think about it, being careless with your passwords amounts to doing much the same thing. That’s because your password is basically a key that combines with your login ID (which could be considered as a lock) to give access to information or the right to execute an action. 

The consequences of someone using your password to break into your account could range from innocuous to extremely damaging. Money could be stolen, precious data could be taken or corrupted and you could even be putting your company at risk if you transfer files between official and personal devices, among many other risks. 

By keeping in mind just a few simple practices, you can ensure that your password remains safe. Here are five of the most important ones:

1. Don’t share your passwords with anyone – Not even someone you trust, unless they are authorised to use the account or must know how to access its contents in an emergency. 
   
2. Don’t keep the same password for all accounts – Most people use a common password across accounts for convenience. However, if this single password is stolen, the damage done can be more than inconvenient.
   
3. Avoid using common sequences, birthdays, names of children and pets – These are the easiest passwords to crack.
   
4. Change your passwords regularly – Despite your best efforts, you probably share your password with people you live or work. Often accounts offer a ‘save password’ option. To ensure that this does not lead to misuse, it is a good habit to change your password at regular intervals.
   
5. Don’t write your password anywhere – Unless the physically written down password is kept completely distant from all devices, locked away in a physical safe with another lock and key.

To Summarise …

Conventionally, experts advise that a strong password should be at least 12 characters long and include a mix of numbers, symbols, upper-case and lower-case letters.