It might not be on your calendar, but World Password Day is an annual event on the first Thursday of May. This year, it falls on May 1. The purpose of World Password Day is to remind you about good password practices and to encourage you to take a moment to consider the security of your accounts.
At How-To Geek, we’re turning the day into an entire week from April 28 to May 4. We’re always publishing articles about passwords and privacy, but it’s a special focus in the coming days. You can visit our World Password Week hub to see our coverage.
Essential Password Tips
To get you started, here are some essential password tips:
- Use a strong password. The longer your password is, the better, but aim for 12 characters minimum. It should use a mixture of letters, numbers, and symbols. It shouldn’t be anything obvious or personal, like your favorite sports team. If you don’t have strong passwords for all your accounts, make rectifying this your number one priority.
- Never use the same password twice. It’s tempting to reuse passwords because then you have less to remember, but this is dangerous. If one of your accounts is compromised, you’re out of luck. You can use a password manager to help you generate and store unique passwords.
- Don’t share your passwords. This might seem obvious, but it’s tempting to give your password for some accounts, like movie streaming services, to friends and family. While you may trust them, their security efforts might not be as good as yours, and your account could fall into the wrong hands.
- Use extra authentication methods if available. More services now offer two-factor authentication, which means you don’t just need a password to access an account, but also another identifying factor like a code sent to your phone. Enable this everywhere you can.
World Password Week on How-To Geek
We’ll have even more advice to share throughout World Password Week, like what our favorite password managers are, common myths about passwords you should stop believing, and threats that a strong password doesn’t protect against.
To stay on top of our coverage, visit our World Password Week hub. You can also subscribe to our newsletter to get updates delivered straight to your inbox, alongside our usual expert reporting year-round.
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