Lesson 136 · 3 min
Strong passwords and passkeys
Use a different long password for every important account, saved in a password manager, and switch to passkeys where you can.
When a website is hacked, criminals try the leaked email and password on banks, email and social apps. Automated tools test millions of combinations, so reused passwords fall first.
A long phrase of four or five random words is stronger and easier to remember than a short mix of symbols. A password manager can create and remember a unique one for each site.
Passkeys go further. Your phone or computer keeps a secret key and unlocks it with your fingerprint, face or PIN. There is no password to steal or type into a fake website.
Start with the accounts that unlock everything else: your main email, your phone account and your bank. Never share a password with anyone who calls or messages you, including people who claim to be support staff.
Do it now
Upgrade one account today
- 1. Open your main email account's security settings.
- 2. If passkeys are offered, add one. If not, change to a long unique passphrase.
- 3. Save it in your phone's built-in password manager or another trusted one.
Quick check
Keep going
Next →Two-factor authenticationWords from this lesson
- Data privacy
- Keeping personal or confidential information under control, including deciding what you type into AI tools and where it is stored.
- Phishing
- Fake messages that pretend to be someone you trust to trick you into clicking a link, paying or sharing passwords.