Use a long passphrase

You should consider using the longest password or passphrase permissible. For example, you can use a passphrase such as a news headline or even the title of the last book you read. Then add in some punctuation and capitalization.

Don’t make passwords easy to guess

Do not include personal information in your password such as your name or pets’ names. This information is often easy to find on social media, making it easier for cybercriminals to hack your accounts.

Avoid using common words in your password

Substitute letters with numbers and punctuation marks or symbols. For example, @ can replace the letter “A” and an exclamation point (!) can replace the letters “I” or “L.”

Get creative

Use phonetic replacements, such as “PH” instead of “F”. Or make deliberate but obvious misspellings, such as “enjin” instead of “engine.”

Don't share your passwords

Don’t tell anyone your passwords and watch for attackers trying to trick you into revealing your passwords through email or calls. Every time you share or reuse a password, it chips away at your security by opening up more avenues through which it could be misused or stolen.

Unique account, unique password

Having different passwords for different accounts better protects each account in the event of a breach by minimizing the impact of any one compromised password. It’s important to mix things up—find easy-to-remember ways to customize your standard password for different sites.

Double your login protection

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) requires you to provide multiple methods to verify each login request. This helps ensure that the only person who has access to your account is you. CCA requires Duo multi-factor authentication for accessing many secure systems, but you should utilize/enable multi-factor authentication whenever it's available.

Use a password manager

Having trouble remembering all your long passwords? Well, the most secure way to store all of your unique passwords is by using a password manager. With just one master password, your password manager will retrieve any existing password you have stored, or it can generate new, secure passwords when creating new accounts.

CCA offers the Dashlane password manager for staff, faculty, and students. It's easy to use and integrates seamlessly with your web browser or mobile device. To request access to Dashlane, please reach out to the CCA Help Desk. There are a number of other free or inexpensive password managers you can choose from as well. Check out this article from Wired for a few suggestions.