When was the last time you spent more than a few seconds thinking about your computer and Internet passwords? If you are like most people, the topic rarely crosses your mind. We select our passwords in a matter of seconds and change them only when prompted by a website, software or hardware. World Password Day is putting this lackadaisical approach to digital security squarely in the spotlight.

A Necessary Reminder

It might seem a bit odd that World Password Day exists, yet it truly does have an important purpose. It reminds us of just how important our passwords really are. Identity theft is on the rise, and those who fail to establish a formidable first line of defense run the risk of being hacked. A regularly updated password with upper and lower case letters, special characters, and numbers will almost certainly block malicious cyber thieves from accessing your private information.

The Importance of Digital Protection

Consider how many electronic devices with internal computers you use from the moment you wake until you hit the hay for the night. The average person has a smartphone, a personal desktop / laptop computer, tablet, a work computer and a video game console. Each of these computing devices requires a password for access. Furthermore, plenty of websites require login credentials. Whether it is a banking website, social media websites, e-mail or web forums, website membership and participation usually requires a login / password. Those who fail to create complex passwords and change them on a regular basis will find themselves in the cross hairs of hackers. The importance of formidable digital protection cannot be understated.

World Password Day exists to remind everyone of just how vulnerable we are in this day and age. The average person has dozens of usernames and passwords, and keeping them all organized and regularly updated is quite a challenge. The majority of people fall into the trap of leaving their passwords the same, year after year, assuming that they will not be singled out as a target by malevolent individuals. Making the matter even more complex is the fact that each website or software program typically requires a unique combination of characters for passwords. Some force users to utilize special symbols, while others require numbers or capital letters, etc.

Make 2016 the First Year You Celebrate World Password Day

If you haven’t changed your passwords in a while, or if you use a variation of the same word for most of your passwords, it is time to turn over a new leaf. Use this year’s World Password Day (Thursday, May 5) as an opportunity to heighten your identity protection. Take a long, hard look at your passwords to determine which are weak, outdated or too similar to one another. Never use a special date, your name or a pet’s name as a password. Let others in your professional, family and social circles know about World Password Day as well. Encouraging a co-worker, spouse or friend to update her passwords just might prevent a case of identity theft. It will only take a few tweaks to create a password that no cyber thief will ever be able to figure out. So go ahead and alter your passwords by adding an extra letter, number or even a space. It just might prevent a nasty network breach or a potentially devastating episode of identity theft.

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