{"id":63020,"date":"2019-10-29T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-10-29T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/foxtail\/2019\/10\/29\/password-dos-and-donts\/"},"modified":"2023-02-22T08:50:37","modified_gmt":"2023-02-22T16:50:37","slug":"password-dos-and-donts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/uncategorized\/password-dos-and-donts\/","title":{"rendered":"Password dos and don\u2019ts"},"content":{"rendered":"

So many accounts, so many passwords. That\u2019s online life. The average person with a typical online presence is estimated to have close to 100 online accounts, and that figure is rising. If you\u2019re reading this, you\u2019re probably in that category. You have a collection of primary accounts that you care the most about because they\u2019re important and you access them frequently, like your email, social media, bank, media subscriptions, streaming services, etc.<\/p>\n

Then you most likely also have a handful of lower priority accounts you set up without much thought, and some that you forgot about. Since those accounts are low priority, maybe you weren\u2019t careful about password hygiene, and you slipped into bad habits like password reuse which can put your other accounts at a security risk should there be a data breach.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a list of handy Dos and Don\u2019ts to put you on the right track when it comes to password security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n

Do<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Don\u2019t<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

Do use long passphrases by combining two or more unrelated words. Also use numbers or special characters, but don\u2019t rely on substituting @ for a or 3 for e, which are overly used and well known.<\/td>\nDon\u2019t use the word \u201cpassword,\u201d or any combination of it. \u201cP@ssword!\u201d is just as easy for hackers to guess.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Do make your passwords at least 8 characters long. Aim for a minimum of 12-15 characters.<\/td>\nDon\u2019t use short, one-word passwords, like sunshine, monkey or football.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Do use a combination of upper- and lower-case letters, numbers and symbols.<\/td>\nDon\u2019t place special characters (@, !, 0, etc.) only at the beginning or the end.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Do include unusual words only you would know. It should seem nonsensical to other people.<\/td>\nDon\u2019t include personal information like your birthdate, address or family members\u2019 names.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Do keep your passwords protected and safe, like encrypted in a password manager.<\/td>\nDon\u2019t share your passwords. Also don\u2019t put them on a piece of paper stuck to your computer.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Do spread various numbers and characters throughout your password.<\/td>\nDon\u2019t use common keyboard patterns like asdfjkl; or obvious patterns like 111111, abc123 or 654321.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Do create unique and complex passwords for every site.<\/td>\nDon\u2019t use the same password everywhere.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Do use an extra layer of security with two-factor authentication (2FA<\/a>), especially for your primary email account<\/td>\nDon\u2019t think a weaker password is safer because you have 2FA.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The task of remembering your ever-expanding list of logins and password combos is a big one. A password management tool like the built-in Firefox password manager<\/a> makes it much easier so you can save some brainspace for Prince lyrics and the ingredients in your grandma\u2019s secret cookie recipe. Firefox can instantly generate tricky random passwords, save them securely, automatically fill in website and app login screens, and let look up your passwords when you need to.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve been curious about password managers but haven\u2019t yet taken the plunge for one reason or another, you\u2019re not alone. Check out these five myths about password managers, debunked<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

So many accounts, so many passwords. That\u2019s online life. The average person with a typical online presence is estimated to have close to 100 online accounts, and that figure is rising. If you\u2019re reading this, you\u2019re probably in that category. You have a collection of primary accounts that you care the most about because they\u2019re […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":727,"featured_media":52250,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[447017],"coauthors":[311664],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPassword dos and don\u2019ts<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/uncategorized\/password-dos-and-donts\/\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/uncategorized\/password-dos-and-donts\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/uncategorized\/password-dos-and-donts\/\",\"name\":\"Password dos and don\u2019ts\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/uncategorized\/password-dos-and-donts\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/uncategorized\/password-dos-and-donts\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/278\/files\/2019\/10\/password-header-purple.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-10-29T00:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-02-22T16:50:37+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/5c987afc4f606be73692d2acfdd1316c\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/uncategorized\/password-dos-and-donts\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/uncategorized\/password-dos-and-donts\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/uncategorized\/password-dos-and-donts\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/278\/files\/2019\/10\/password-header-purple.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/278\/files\/2019\/10\/password-header-purple.jpg\",\"width\":1921,\"height\":1080},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/uncategorized\/password-dos-and-donts\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Password dos and don\u2019ts\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/\",\"name\":\"The Mozilla Blog\",\"description\":\"News and Updates about Mozilla\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/5c987afc4f606be73692d2acfdd1316c\",\"name\":\"M.J. Kelly\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/70718b02fa9f11d88288b937f1da2ac1\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d61ff6a9eb6dd324df20cb773e6c416e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d61ff6a9eb6dd324df20cb773e6c416e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"M.J. Kelly\"},\"description\":\"Mozilla Communications\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/author\/mjkellymozilla-com\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Password dos and don\u2019ts","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/uncategorized\/password-dos-and-donts\/","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/uncategorized\/password-dos-and-donts\/","url":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/uncategorized\/password-dos-and-donts\/","name":"Password dos and don\u2019ts","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/uncategorized\/password-dos-and-donts\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/uncategorized\/password-dos-and-donts\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/278\/files\/2019\/10\/password-header-purple.jpg","datePublished":"2019-10-29T00:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2023-02-22T16:50:37+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/5c987afc4f606be73692d2acfdd1316c"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/uncategorized\/password-dos-and-donts\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/uncategorized\/password-dos-and-donts\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/uncategorized\/password-dos-and-donts\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/278\/files\/2019\/10\/password-header-purple.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/278\/files\/2019\/10\/password-header-purple.jpg","width":1921,"height":1080},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/uncategorized\/password-dos-and-donts\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Password dos and don\u2019ts"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/","name":"The Mozilla Blog","description":"News and Updates about Mozilla","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/5c987afc4f606be73692d2acfdd1316c","name":"M.J. Kelly","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/70718b02fa9f11d88288b937f1da2ac1","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d61ff6a9eb6dd324df20cb773e6c416e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d61ff6a9eb6dd324df20cb773e6c416e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"M.J. Kelly"},"description":"Mozilla Communications","url":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/author\/mjkellymozilla-com\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63020"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/727"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63020"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63020\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52250"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63020"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63020"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63020"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=63020"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}