Use Passphrases To Secure Your Accounts
Use a unique and strong passphrase for your online accounts to help you stay secure online. A passphrase is a more secure password and contains a sequence of random words. This makes it easier for you to remember but harder for cybercriminals to guess.
A passphrase is most effective when it is long, unpredictable and unique:
Long
- The longer your passphrase, the better
- Aim for at least 15 characters long
- Four or more random words that you will remember is ideal
Unpredictable
- The less predictable your passphrase, the better
- Sentences don’t make great passphrases as they can be easier to guess
- Do not include identifying information such as family names, birthdates or addresses
Unique
- Don’t recycle your passphrases
- Use different passphrases for different accounts, for example, your Facebook password should be different to your email password
- Add symbols, capital letters, or numbers
An example of a long, unpredictable and unique passphrase is: BlueElephant$Pizza42
Access Sydney received funding from the Australian Government for this Cyber Security Awareness communication.
