Advertisment

Google tells users how passwords can protect them better

author-image
Supriya Rai
New Update

NEW DELHI, INDIA: Internet has become the part of our lives that we just cannot fo without. Hence, knowing how to stay safe and secure online is important. Google, in its blog, has provided few tips and information on how one can keep their account safe. ''It could be your Gmail, your photos or your documents-whatever you have in your Google Account, we work hard to make sure it's protected from would-be identity thieves, other bad guys, or any illegitimate attempts to access your information,'' says Google.

Advertisment

However, here are some steps you can follow to help keep your account safe:

1. Use a different password for each important service: Hackers steal the username and password from one site, and then use them to try to log into lots of other sites where you might have an account, says Google. Even large, reputable sites sometimes have their password databases stolen. If you use the same password across many different sites, there's a greater chance it might end up on a list of stolen passwords.

2. Make your password hard to guess: password, 123456, My name is Inigo Montoya, You killed my father, Prepare to die, etc. are terrible passwords, says Google. Making your passwords longer or more complicated makes them harder to guess.

Advertisment

One way to build a strong password is to think of a phrase or sentence that other people wouldn't know and then use that to build your password. For example, for your email you could think of a personal message like "I want to get better at responding to emails quickly and concisely" and then build your password from numbers, symbols, and the first letters of each word-"iw2gb@r2eq&c".

3. Keep your password somewhere safe: Make a list of passwords and write them down. Just make sure you keep your list in a safe place, where you won't lose it and others won't be able to find it, says Google.

4. Set a recovery option: Setting a recovery option, like an alternate email address or a telephone number, helps give the service provider another way to contact you if you are ever locked out of your account.

 

tech-news