Is it OK to use one password for all my accounts?

The most used password is 123456. Every hacker knows that. Therefore, this is the least wise password to use. You run the risk that a hacker will gain access to your personal files with this. Choose a strong password.

You can change a password for safety occasionally, but the risk is that your password will become less strong, for example, if you only change one character. The most important thing is that you choose a strong password.

A strong password is not guessable by a hacker and is hard to crack by a computer. Tips:

• Think of a password without obvious words.
• Make a password of at least 12 characters. The longer, the better.
• Use, for example, a saying, a line from a song, or another sentence that you can remember well and that is hard to guess or crack. For example: “Prefer U2 than Beethoven’s 6th!” Or: “Do I want a cat or 10 dogs?”
• If the website has a maximum number of password characters, you can set the first letters of each word as your password. In the first sentence, it becomes: PUtB6! In the second: Diwaco10d?
• You can also use the first 2 letters of each word from your sentence. That becomes: PrU2thBe6th! And: DoIwaCaor10Do?
• Or stick all the words together and use a capital letter for each new word: PreferU2ThanThe6thOfBeethoven! And: DoIWantACatOr10Dogs?
• Use a different password for each account, because the website where you have your account can also be hacked, and internet criminals often try out a stolen password on as many different internet services as possible. If criminals get one of your passwords, they do not immediately have access to all your accounts.
• Change your password if someone (possibly) has or can get access to your account, for example, if you hear from others that they receive strange messages in your name. Also, change your password if the service where you have the account has a data breach. This prevents the person who has gained access to the service from also using your account details. You can check with the Have I Been Pwned? service and the police if your email address appears in a leaked database.
• If you find it quite difficult to remember your passwords, use a password manager.
• With some accounts, you can choose extra security with two-step verification.

• Jamie1984′ (if your partner or child is named like this, do not choose a password with personal information in it)
• 123456
• qwerty
• welcome01
• football123 (or another existing word from the dictionary with a few numbers behind it)
• ‘Facebook01! or ‘F@c3B0oK’ (or another word that can be traced back to the service).

You can also use a tool: a password manager. This is a digital ‘safe’ where you can store all your passwords and usernames. You then only need to remember the password of your password manager. And when you visit a website, the password manager automatically fills in your username and password.

You might think it could be dangerous because all your passwords are visible at once if someone cracks the password of your password manager, but an attacker cannot steal all passwords with one attack. This is different from a data breach, where more accounts can be hacked in one attack.

Of course, it is still important to choose a strong password for your password manager. A password manager also automatically generates a strong password for you. You can use most password managers across different devices, such as your computer, tablet, and smartphone.

Here are a few password managers (you will be redirected):

• Do not share your password with anyone
• Do not let anyone watch as you type your password
• Use different passwords for different services
• Change your passwords
• Do not leave your password lying around near your computer, on your desk, or on your agenda
• Do not store your passwords unsecured on your computer. Encrypt the file or use a password manager
• Do not leave your passwords in the email
• Never give your password to companies that ask for it
• Change your password if a website is hacked
• Do not save passwords in the browser
• And of course, ensure a secure computer, smartphone, or tablet.