Don't get hacked, change your password
By Contributor
Believe it or not, there’s a National Password Day.
Better Business Bureau serving Mainland BC is proud to present the second annual National Password Day, on March 15, 2017.
This initiative, part of National Fraud Prevention Month, is an opportunity to remind businesses and consumers of the importance of password security.
Passwords are an integral part of our digital lives, helping to secure important personal, business and financial information. As an advocate for businesses and consumers, BBB is pleased to once again partner with industry stakeholder Global Payments Canada, a leading worldwide payments technology provider, to help inform and educate the public on the importance of password security and best practices.
“Better Business Bureau is pleased to be able to provide a forum for increased security awareness, as part of the Competition Bureau’s National Fraud Prevention Month,” says Jeanette Jackson, Director of Communications & Strategic Partnerships for BBB serving Mainland BC.
“Data security and confidentiality are important for both consumers and businesses,” said Jeff McGuire, Senior Vice President, Product Development & Marketing for Global Payments Canada. “We are pleased to work with the Better Business Bureau to help provide awareness and education on this important topic.”
On Thursday, March 15, BBB and Global Payments Canada encourage you to celebrate National Password Day by scheduling 30 minutes to update your passwords across bank accounts, social networks, email accounts and even point-of-sale (POS) equipment. Select strong passwords that are difficult to guess and vary across your many accounts. Change passwords frequently – experts recommend two to three times a year at minimum – and be sure to never share your passwords with anyone.
Important tips: Make your password tough to decipher
- Use at least 12 characters
- Use upper and lower case letters, numbers and symbols
- Avoid words found in the dictionary
- Avoid using family names
