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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Technology
William Mata

World Password Day 2023: What is a good password to stay safe?

It is not only Star Wars Day and a local election on May 4, it is also a chance to consider your online security.

World Password Day is celebrated annually and sees security firms and firewall providers seek to inform of better ways to keep your accounts safe.

Here is all you need to know about the day itself and how you can keep yourself safe online.

When is World Password Day 2023?

World Password Day is on the first Thursday of May each year, which is May 4 in 2023.

What is World Password Day 2023?

The awareness-raising incentive is an annual reminder about the dangers of weak online passwords and staying safe against hackers.

Weak passwords can leave you a target for identity theft or for thieves to access your personal accounts. This can either see your money or data taken directly or your account accessed by crooks who then ask your friends and family for money.

Software exists that can allow hackers to guess easy passwords in just a few minutes.

What is a good password to use online?

The Cyber Security Centre says the best way to make your password difficult to hack is by using a sequence of three random words.

“The longer the better,” a statement says. “You can make it even stronger by including special characters and numbers.”

The centre also recommends using two-factor authentication and using unique passwords for email, bank and social media accounts.

The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre stresses the need to create a strong and unique password for your email

Their guidance reads: “Ideally, you should use unique passwords for all your important online accounts (such as banking accounts, shopping/payment accounts and social media accounts), not just your email account.

“You should also provide additional protection by setting up 2-step verification (2SV) on your email account, which will prevent a criminal from accessing your email account even if they know your password.”

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