Many Internet users often disregard the importance of choosing a safe and secure password and choose a simple, easy-to-remember one instead. But is your password really safe? The importance of choosing a secure password can’t be stressed enough.

         It may not seem like a big deal, but you should care because your password protects everything locked inside whatever account you may be holding. Even if your password contains random symbols and numbers, a hacker may be able to gain access to your account by guessing the answer to your “secret question.” With so many Internet users on Facebook and Twitter, it wouldn’t take long to find out the name of your dog or the school you attended; it’s likely that you’ve given away the answer to these “secret questions” at least once on one of the many social networking websites out there.

         It is possible to find out if your password is safe by using howsecureismypassword.net, a site that estimates how long it would take a hacker to gain access to your account. For example, the password “mypassword” would take about 6 days to be cracked. The password “asdf1234jkl;” would take 97 thousand years to be cracked.

Tips for Choosing a Safe Password:

• Make your password as long as possible.
• Do not use personal information in your password – like your name, address, phone number, or even the name of someone you know.
• Do not use words that can be found in a standard dictionary.
• Use both upper and lower case letters.