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I forgot my password. Ever had that dilemma?

Password, letmein, 12345678, and qwerty are some of the most popular passwords.  Of course for that reason, you should never use them.  I realize that it’s challenging to keep track of all of your passwords, (refer to my evernote article) especially with requirements like: 8-character minimums, upper and lower case, and Th3 Funky Ch@r@ct3rs. Get ready for 12-character minimum passwords, Coming Soon!

Here is my password tip. What if you only had to remember 5 passwords? It’s a lot better than the pages of passwords some of my clients have. The secret to remembering 5 passwords is all about security levels.

Password rules: 8 characters minimum, at least 1 Uppercase letter, and 1 or more Funky Ch@r@ct3r$.

The password security levels should be as follows:

Password Level #1:  Ultra secure, used for financial & banking.

Password Level #2:  A business password. Used within your professional setting for spreadsheets, Word Docs, eMail, etc.

Password Level #3:  Home password used for Social Media & eMail, etc.

Password Level #4: Family password used by immediate family members.

Password Level #5:  WiFi home share password, a friendly password to give friends and family members.

If you create 5 passwords using this system, you shouldn’t need a list. Also, try to come up with a word that is personal to you when creating your password. For example, let’s take your first pet’s name, assuming it’s Samson. Although Samson is only 6 characters, you can add the year your pet was born, your favorite number, etc. You can even add special characters. Using these password security strategies,  Samson might become: S@m$*n1999, where 1999 is his birth year. Or, you could make it $ams*n!(((, etc. You get the idea.  If not, email me at info@wilsonalvarez.com, and I’ll suggest some password strategies to use.

Since this topic concerns Internet security, please note my serious yet simple disclaimer:  I am not responsible for “ANYTHING”. Note that the word anything is in quotes, caps, bold, & underline.

Smile, and happy computing!