10 Digital Parenting Tips On This World Password Day

May 2 is observed as World Password Day and it is the perfect time to consider going over these password basics with your family and tell them about McAfee’s security products which can be downloaded via mcafee.com/activate.

As adults, we know the importance of strong passwords, and we’ve likely preached this message to our kids also. But do our kids understand why strong passwords are important and why it needs to become a habit much like personal health and hygiene?

Kids targeted

We unknowingly believe that an adult’s information is more valuable than a child’s. On the contrary, given a choice, all hackers would dig a child’s information over an adult’s because it’s impeccable. Determined identity thieves will use a child’s Social Security number to apply for government benefits, open bank, and credit card accounts, apply for a loan or utility service or rent an apartment and more. Also, once a child’s information is hacked, a hacker can usually get to a parent’s information.

10 Tips to stay safe your password

The ability to practice and teach healthy password habits in your home is in your control.

1. Make sure your passwords are at least 12 characters long and include numbers, symbols, and upper and lowercase letters. Consider replacing numbers and symbols for letters, such as zero for “O” or @ for “A”.
2. Encourage kids to get creative with their passwords and create passwords or phrases that mean something to them. Then you would replace some letters for numbers and characters, and put a portion in all caps to make it even stronger.
3. According to the National Cyber Security Centre, another way to create a strong password is by using three random words that mean something to you except for your birthdates, addresses, or sports numbers. For example: ‘lovepuppypaws’ or ‘drakegagacardib’ or ‘eatsleeprepeat’.
4. Creating a new password for each account will secure you well in advance against cybercriminals if any of your other passwords are cracked. Consider activating a password manager by mcafee.com/activateto help you keep track of your passwords.
5. If you purchase products for kids such as internet-connected gaming devices, routers, or speakers, make sure to change the default passwords to something new and unique, since hackers often know the manufacturer’s default settings and their passwords.
6. Teach kids that when shopping on their favorite retail or gaming sites, not to save credit card information on any site. Saving your personal information to different accounts may speed up the checkout process but increases the vulnerability to your account credentials.
7. Comprehensive security software which you can get via Mcafee.com/activate can protect you from several threats such as viruses, identity theft, privacy breaches, and malware designed to hack your data. McAfee activate can cover your whole family as well as your multiple devices.
8. Keep your device up-to-date with a free web advisor that helps protect you from accidentally typing passwords into phishing sites.
9. Kids love to show loyalty to their friends by sharing passwords and giving one another access to their social network accounts. DO NOT encourage this behavior of your kids as it is reckless and could carry some serious privacy consequences. But, sharing passwords with parents is recommended.
10. Use of Multi-Factor Authentication confirms a user’s identity only after presenting two or more pieces of evidence. Though not 100% secure, this practice adds a protective layer of security to an account.