Using a strong and separate password
Using a strong and separate password
Using a strong and separate password
Why it’s important to take special care of your email password.
We're often told that the passwords to access our online accounts should be really strong, and not to use them anywhere else. This is especially true for the password for your email account. If you've used the same password across different accounts, cyber criminals only need one password to access all your accounts.
Always use a strong and separate password for your email; that is, a password that you don’t use for any of your other accounts, either at home or at work.
Install latest software and updates
Using a strong and separate password
Using a strong and separate password
Applying security updates promptly will help protect your devices and accounts from cyber criminals.
You should apply updates to your apps and your device's software as soon as they are available. Updates include protection from viruses and other kinds of malware, and will often include improvements and new features.
If you receive a prompt to update your device (or apps), don’t ignore it. Applying these updates is one of the most important (and quickest) things you can do to keep yourself safe online.
You should also turn on 'automatic updates' in your device's settings, if available. This will mean you do not have to remember to apply updates.
Turn on 2FA and / or MFA
Using a strong and separate password
Turn on 2FA and / or MFA
Turning on 2FA / MFA is one of the most effective ways to protect your online accounts from cyber criminals.
You should protect your most important accounts (such as email, banking, social media and online shopping) by making sure you have 2-step verification turned on for each of them.
2-step verification (2SV), which is also known as two-factor authentication (2FA) or multi-factor authentication (MFA), helps to keep cyber criminals out of your accounts, even if they know your passwords. The NCSC recommend you take time to set up 2-step verification on all your important accounts, even for ones that you've protected with strong passwords.
Using a Password Manager
Using a Password Manager
Turn on 2FA and / or MFA
Need help remembering all your passwords? Get a password manager.
We're often told that the passwords for our online accounts should be really strong, and to not use the same password anywhere else. Especially for those important accounts like email, banking, shopping and social media.
The trouble is, most of us have lots of online accounts, so creating different passwords for all of them (and remembering them) is hard.
This is where a password manager can help. A password manager (or a web browser) can store all your passwords securely, so you don’t have to worry about remembering them. This allows you to use unique, strong passwords for all your important accounts (rather than using the same password for all of them, which you should never do).
Backing up your data
Using a Password Manager
Backing up your data
How to make sure you can recover your important photos, documents, and other personal data stored on your IT equipment.
Most of us at some point have been unable to access important data, whether it's work documents, photos, videos, contact details or other personal information.
This page explains why you should make backups, and the types of backup techniques available. It also contains links to detailed backup instructions from Microsoft, Apple and Google.
Making backups doesn't take very long, and can usually be set up to take place automatically. So a little planning in advance to make backups could save you a lot of stress should the worst happen.
Three random words
Using a Password Manager
Backing up your data
Combine three random words to create a password that’s ‘long enough and strong enough’.
Weak passwords can be cracked in seconds. The longer and more unusual your password is, the harder it is for a cyber criminal to crack.
A good way to make your password difficult to crack is by combining three random words to create a password (for example applenemobiro). Or you could use a password manager, which can create strong passwords for you (and remember them).
Avoid the most common passwords that criminals can easily guess (like ‘password’). You should also avoid creating passwords from significant dates (like your birthday, or a loved one’s), or from your favourite sports team, or by using family and pet names. Most of these details can be found within your social media profile.
If you’re thinking of changing certain characters in your password (so swapping the letter ‘o' with a zero, for example), you should know that cyber criminals know these tricks as well. So your password won’t be significantly stronger, but it will be harder for you to remember.