Secure Passwords

Arkansas consumers can use the Internet for almost everything. We have online bank accounts and online social profiles. We pay our bills online, we receive financial statements online, and we even order take-out food online. Many consumers find it difficult to manage multiple passwords for each of these accounts. Out of convenience, many of us use the same or similar passwords for all of these accounts.

But beware. Secure passwords are essential to keeping your information private, protecting your family, and safeguarding your money. While it may be convenient to use just one password for all of your online accounts, anyone who can hack that password can gain access to all of your online resources and that could mean trouble for you.

Tips

• Create a unique password for each online account.
• Passwords should contain at least eight characters. Experts recommend a password length of 10 to 14 characters.
• Passwords should be complex and contain uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and punctuation marks or special characters.
• Do not use your name or any part of your email address.
• Do not use the names of any relatives, pets, places you have vacationed, or favorite books, bands, movies, and TV shows. If someone were to visit your social networking profile, they might see this information and could use it to attempt to gain access to your financial information.
• Choose an especially strong password for websites that contain sensitive personal or financial information, such as bank accounts, PayPal, and online retailers.

When it comes to your Internet safety, we’ve got your back, Arkansas.