It is increasingly common for email and website passwords to be hacked, with very unpleasant results, considerable inconvenience and possible financial loss. If your email address is hacked all your contacts are likely to be affected, not just yourself.

Websites insisting on a strong password help to protect you. You are kidding yourself about security it you use a weak password.

Basic Suggestions

• Change passwords periodically, at least annually
• Use at least 8 characters, at least two of which are symbols when allowed or numbers if not
• Including symbols makes passwords much harder to crack
• Symbols include !?"'£$%&*()_+-=
• The following symbols are allowed in 1&1 email passwords:
  !$%^&*()-_=+[{]};:@#~|,<.>/?üÜöÖäÄ but NOT other accented characters eg éè or '"
• Mix upper and lower case
• Passwords are usually case sensitive
• Do not use recognisable words (a dictionary word or a name) as the alphabetic component of a password
• Do not use a series of characters the same as in your user name
• Do not use any character more than twice
• Never email or use a password elsewhere and disguise it if you write it down

Password Schemes

Use the Mozilla recommendation

Choosing More Secure Passwords [new window]

Search online for a reputable scheme

google search: create secure OR strong password [new window]

Invent a phrase

Take the first letter of each word, plus all punctuation and symbols as shown in the example. Remember the phrase, not the password.
1st Secure Password (for my new Bank)
1SP(fmnB)

Choose an exclamation

Use all characters, with or without spaces
It's today!

Use a vehicle number plate

Add something extra to get to 8 characters
vw-RU05SCY

Change the letters in a chosen word to other characters

Wednesday -> W3dn3sd4y
Glasgow! -> Gl4sg0w!

For these examples, the scheme is:

• a -> 4
• e -> 3
• i -> 1
• o -> 0

Devise your own scheme, different from this well-known example.

Although a strong password helps, there are other ways you can be hacked - take care!

• by 'Phishing', ie when a malicious website tricks you into disclosing logon information
• when using an unsecure WiFi connection, eg in a coffee shop