Passwords seem to be the bane of our existence. However, until better technology comes along, we’re stuck with having to manage multiple passwords. This means that many people choose a simple password and use it over and over again. This can be dangerous, especially when you’re trying to protect private client data. Try to make sure your password is hard to guess.
Daniel Amitay, a New York-based developer of an iPhone security app that requires users to set a four-digit passcode, disclosed to the Wall Street Journal the most popular PINs among his more than 200,000 users. If everyone had chosen a PIN at random, each PIN would have about 20 users. In fact, more than 15% of users, or 30,000, chose one of just 14 common PINs: 1234; 2580 or 0852 (the keys at the center of the keypad, in order or reverse order); 5683, which spells “love;” or four identical digits, such as 0000 or 5555. Please make sure to secure your mobile phone.
As a reminder, the best way to protect yourself is to get creative with passwords. Don’t use personal information that’s easy to find, such as a birthday, address, zip code, or high school graduation year.
Because voicemail PIN numbers often can have up to 10 digits, go beyond the usual four digits. For example, spell your favorite 10-letter word. For e-mail passwords, use letters (capital and lower case), numbers, and symbols. Also, avoid using the same password for all of your accounts in case one of them is hacked. Using multiple passwords will protect you against having your accounts hacked.