Login   |   What the?

Computer passwords are required for so many varied purposes, many websites from internet banking to your favourite internet portal to save your preferences request that you create an account with a password to perform a transaction.

Often when registering an account on a particular website, they’ll ask you to enter a password and often asked whether you wish to save this password in memory. Saving passwords in memory is not a good thing to do as not only does it enable anyone to be able to access your account if they are logged into your computer, but it doesn’t force you to remember it – and if you lose your password, it can be a lot of trouble to recover it!

When choosing your password, it is important to not make them obvious that others would know or could easily guess, such as your birthday or an anniversary, name of your partner, children or pet. Various websites place restrictions on the type of password you can use, and recommend some capital letters, numerals and symbols to increase its complexity.

It is good practice to change your passwords on a regular basis. It is also recommended that don’t use the same password for each service which you use, particularly on websites.

Most importantly, ensure you don’t keep your passwords written down, but preferably only in your own memory. If you need to write them down, keep them in a safe spot, that isn’t easily discoverable to ensure your online identity is protected.