Twitter's recent hack is a good reminder of how important online security is - starting with strong passwords

I thought in light of the recent Twitter hacks: Twitter hack raises questions about 'cloud computing' and the growing popularity of cloud computing with many of us using online services like Google Apps it was a good time for a refresher course on one of the number one way to secure your information online.

Strong Passwords

A strong password is your first line of defense.  What constitutes a strong password?  Generally a strong password will include 3 or the 4 types of content:

1. Uppercase letters
2. Lowercase letters
3. Numbers
4. Non-alphanumeric characters, like punctuation

Some general guidelines to follow would be:

• Don't use common names or nicknames
• Don't use common personal information (like your age or year you were born)
• Don't use repeat letters or digits

Another thing to think about is password aging.  This is changing  your passwords at predetermined intervals to avoid hackers making repeated attempts at guessing your passwords.  Some sites require this automatically.  Our MLS is such a site.

With so many passowrds to remember is can be tempting to use the same one for everything.  This is another bad idea.  Experts say the best way to keep track of passwords is to write them down and store them in a safe place. 

Security should high priority for our agents considering the amount of information we keep not only on ourselves but our clients as well.  Set strong passwords as a first line of defense.