Password and PIN Guidance
You are responsible for maintaining two of your most important security measures: your password and PIN.
- Create a unique password and PIN every time
- Stay away from anything easy to guess and anything connected to your life.
- Avoid using birthdates, birth years, family members’ or pets’ names, information related to your school or college or favorite team, account numbers, or other easily obtainable information.
- Follow the "14 4 Rule" (As per Microsoft*)
Stick with passwords that are at least fourteen characters in length. At least one character in your passwords should be each of the following: Lower case letters, Upper case letters, Numbers and Special characters.
- Don’t use a list of characters: aaaaA, abcdef…
- Don’t use over rolled words: noitamrofni = information
- Short words written in a wrong way: helo
- Duplicated words: cutcut
- Personal information: Date of birth, your name or last name.
- Use different passwords for your email account and another one for your social media accounts and PINs
That way, if someone does get access to one of your web or bank accounts, he or she cannot access the rest of them.
- Change your passwords and PINs on regular basis.
- Don’t type your password or PIN on a computer that does not belong to you.
If possible, don’t use someone else’s computer that you don’t trust to do any online financial transactions.
- Keep your passwords and PINs a secret
Do not carry your passwords in your purse or wallet and if you write them down, keep them somewhere safe, and not near your computer. Make sure no one watches you entering your password.
- Don’t share your password or PIN with anyone:
Anyone includes your friends and family.
For more secure password submission, use the recommended website navigation pad available on the website.
* A fourteen-character password is recommended because it is long enough to provide adequate security and still short enough for users to easily remember.