Securing Your Email Account First
Before working on other accounts, ensure your email account is secure. Most verification emails from companies go to your registered email address. If your email has been compromised, hackers might forward your emails to themselves or delete incoming mail. Secure your email first, then change passwords on other accounts.
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) and 2FA
For every account where you change your password, enable MFA or 2FA if the account supports it. These provide an additional layer of security by requiring more than just a password to access your account. This could be a fingerprint, a text message code, or an authenticator app code.
Creating Strong Passwords
Consider using passphrases rather than random characters. Choose meaningful but hard-to-guess combinations with words, numbers, and symbols. A passphrase like "PurpleTiger$Runs42Fast!" is both strong and memorable. Free password generators are also available online for creating truly random passwords.
The Benefits of Password Managers
For those who need help keeping track of passwords digitally, we recommend using a password manager. These tools store your passwords securely and can even generate strong, unique passwords for each of your accounts automatically.
Why You Should Avoid Saving Passwords in Your Browser
Storing passwords in your browser is convenient but risky. If your computer gets infected with malware, browser-saved passwords can be easily extracted. A dedicated password manager is a much safer alternative.
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