How to create a perfect password:

• Always use a password at least eight characters long. Some experts recommend 14

• Make your password complex. Do not use real words or only letters. Use lower case, upper case, numbers and unusual characters such as % Do not use sequences such as 1234 or qwerty.

• Do not simply put a number at the end or beginning: password1 is a weak password

• Never use a password that is the same as your username or from your family or personal information, including date of birth and phone or house numbers

• Change your passwords regularly — some recommend every six months. Do not simply change a digit

• Never use the same password for different accounts or online applications

• Think of a sentence you can remember. “I live in Marin County, San Francisco, California” can be turned into a password by using the first letters, then making it complex: ilimcsfc becomes 1l1m<$fC

• Use a keyboard pattern. Using an M shape, for instance, starting at v, you can create the password vgy7ujmko0p;/. If you put on the caps lock for some of the pattern, you can make it even more complex. You can change the password by choosing a new place to start

• Use Microsoft’s instant password checker to assess the strength of your password: go to http://www.microsoft.com/protect/yourself/password/checker.mspx

• Do not think none of this is worth the trouble. If you want to go one further, use a password manager tool

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