I am asked every day how one can protect their information and privacy in this world of daily data breaches, so we are adding a weekly practical tip to assist our readers in managing their information.

This week’s tip is on password management. I know they are hard to remember, and you are supposed to have different passwords for different sites, and that makes it more difficult. But it is true. Recent hacks have demonstrated that when hackers obtain passwords through one hack, they are able to get into multiple sites as users use the same passwords across sites, basically rendering them useless.

Here’s the tip: instead of using a bunch of numbers and letters and symbols that you can’t remember, use a phrase that you can easily remember. Instead of using the popular password “love,” use “I love the Tedeschi Trucks band.” Instead of a combination of your children’s birthdays, use “My children are teenagers.” Both are complex enough that they will be difficult to randomly guess or determine through social engineering.

And please, whatever you do, refrain from putting all of your passwords in a folder entitled “passwords.” It sounds ludicrous, but it is a common practice! Stay tuned for more tips to come in the following weeks.

[View source.]