Defensive Play: Protecting Your Information from Fraudsters

In soccer, a strong defense is what keeps the other team from reaching the goal. The same is true when it comes to protecting your personal information online. One of your best defensive tools is a strong password.

While passwords help guard your online accounts, they’re only as effective as the strategy behind them. Cybercriminals are constantly looking for easy opportunities, and weak passwords can leave the goal wide open.

Passwords like "123456" or a family member’s name may be easy to remember, but they’re also some of the first things fraudsters will try. Information such as birthdays, addresses, favorite teams, or school names can often be found online, making these passwords easier to crack than you might think.

And if you're using the same password across multiple accounts, one successful attack could give criminals access to much more than just a single account.

Build a Strong Defensive Line

Here are a few ways to strengthen your defense against fraudsters:

Go for length.
Passwords should be at least eight characters long, but cybersecurity experts recommend using 12 characters or more. Longer passwords are significantly more difficult to crack.

Mix up your lineup.
Use a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. For example, a password like iWI$4y0uw3!! is much harder to guess than a simple word or phrase.

Avoid predictable plays.
Don't use your name, birthdays, pet names, or other personal information that could be easily discovered.

Use a different strategy for every account.
Your email, financial accounts, shopping sites, and social media accounts should all have unique passwords. If one account is compromised, your other accounts will still be protected.

Create a system you can remember.
Consider using the first letters of a memorable phrase and substituting numbers, symbols, and capitalization in a pattern that's familiar to you but difficult for others to guess.

Don't Leave Your Goal Unprotected

If you keep a backup list of passwords, make sure it's stored securely and not left in a place where others can easily find it.

The best teams know that winning starts with a solid defense. The same applies to cybersecurity. By creating strong, unique passwords and following smart security practices, you can help keep fraudsters from scoring against your personal and financial information.

Stay alert, strengthen your defense, and keep your accounts secure.

To learn more about Fraud and Security Resources visit our website.