How to protect your password from hackers

Computer attacks, data breaches and cases of identity theft are a by-product of the information age.

Britain's News of the World newspaper closed Sunday after a widening scandal revealed that journalists had hacked into cell phone voice mails. It was fairly easy. In many cases, customers had not changed default codes like 1111 or 4444 to more secure passwords and it was simple to get into their phones.

Here's how to avoid the same fate.

The basics:  A strong password is at least seven characters long, has a combination of letters, numbers and symbols, and the same password shouldn’t be used for all of your online activities. After all, once someone finds out one password, they've got access to everything else. There are also some online password checkers that evaluate the strength of your password.

Words and acronyms work:  If you don't want to use a combination of letters, numbers and symbols, at least keep in mind single word passwords are easier to break than multiple word passwords. Instead of "monkey," use something like "orangemonkey" or "bigmonkeyface." Alternatively, use the first letter from a phrase – say, from a favourite song – so Bruno Mars' "Liquor Store Blues feat. Damian Marley" becomes "LSBFDM." This should be an easy password to remember – and better yet, at a number and symbol to this, too.

Managing multiple passwords:  Because you shoudn't  use the same password for everything, come up with a system to better remember each of them, such as adding a relevant letter to the front, middle or end of the password – such as "b" for "banking," "s" for shopping, "f" for Facebook or "d" for an online dating site. If it's difficult to remember your passwords, use a trusted "password manager" program on your computer or smartphone, which requires a master password to get in, and then you can see all the rest of the passwords inside.

Change it up: Every so often, change passwords. How often  boils down to your comfort level, but I’d recommend every couple of months is probably conservative enough. The longer you keep the same password, the greater the chance someone could guess it, share it and use the information against you if they’re motivated enough. On a related note, don’t share your password. A recent U.S.-based survey showed tweens and teens frequently give out their passwords to friends - and don't change it after they've had a falling out.

A step ahead:  Google offers a two-step authentication process, which serves as an extra security measure to protect your online accounts from being compromised. It confirms you – and only you – are granted access to your Google apps, such as Gmail. In addition to a standard username and password you'll also need a code that's sent via text message to your mobile phone. Before you gain access to the Google app, you'll be prompted to enter that short verification code. Instead of a text message, you can also download and install the Google Authenticator app on your Android, BlackBerry or iPhone. Many other companies are using two-step authentication, as well.

Heed the call: When you set up a landline or mobile phone voicemail, depending on your provider/carrier your voicemail password by default might be the last 4 digits of your phone number (9492) or the month and year of your birthdate (e.g. 0471 for April of 1971). Don’t keep these default voicemail passwords -  they're only meant to help you log in once and chance it to something else. Someone can easily see your birthday on Facebook; even if you don’t reveal the information, chances are family, friends and colleagues will post something to your wall on the big day.

Public enemy no. 1: If you're using a public computer – such as a shared PC at a library, cybercafé or airport lounge – be sure not to do private things better done at home (such as online banking). You might forget to clear the browser history, cache and cookies (or accidentally click to "remember my password" on these sites) and the next person could gain access. Or, there could be "keystroke logging" software or hardware on the public PC that tracks what you type on the keyboard -- a tip is to use the mouse on an onscreen keyboard offered by Windows if you must enter a password.

Also read:
 How to secure your wireless network
Shop online safely
Be aware of spammed "phishing" attacks