Setting passwords and usernames

Passwords keep our accounts safe so other people cannot get into them.
It can be hard to remember all your passwords so sometimes people use the same password for everything. This is a big risk!

If you forget it you could be locked out of lots of your favourite sites and apps. But worse still if someone else guesses it, they could get into all your accounts.

Some people use really easy to guess passwords like 12345 – never do this.

Do you think this is a strong password?

username : paddingtonbear
Password : marmalade

• If you said no, why did you think it was weak?
• If you said yes, why did you think it was strong?

Think about:

• Do you think people could have guessed the password once they knew the username? That makes it weak
• Your friend has used the same password since he first went on to play Moshi Monsters. It is his middle name and the numbers ‘123’. What would you tell him?
• Think of a password for famous people you follow. Then check with friends if they thought of the same password. This will show you how you need to think of something that is harder to guess.

• Use 2 or 3-worded phrases
• Mix letters, numbers and symbols – and include some small and upper case letters. For example: ThiSiSA$tr0ngPASSWORD1
• Change passwords often
• Avoid using your birthday or your address or the names of your pets – these are easy to guess
• There are websites that check your password strength such as Google password checkup