Think “password” is a clever online password?
Think again.
It’s one of the top 25 passwords easily guessed by hackers, the tech site Gizmodo reported recently. Others include “123456789,” “football,” “welcome,” “abc123” and “letmein.”
Birthdays, addresses and pet names are also considered passwords fails.
To create strong passwords, the CyberSafe at USPS team offers these tips:
- Use a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and special characters to create strong passwords.
- Think of a favorite phrase and use it as a password, substituting some letters with other kinds of characters. For example, “the grass is green” becomes Th3gr@ss!gr33n.
- Avoid sharing passwords with anyone.
- Store written passwords in a secure place.
- Change ACE computer logon passwords every 90 days. Passwords must be at least 15 characters long. Don’t use ACE logon IDs as part of the password.
Email the Computer Incident Response Team or call 866-877-7247 to report suspicious incidents.
The CyberSafe at USPS site has more information security tips and best practices.