Whether you use online banking, like to shop online or are logged into other online services: Insecure passwords always pose a major security risk and are an easy gateway for cyber attacks. Unfortunately, strings of numbers such as 1234567 or 111111 are among the most frequently used password codes. Cyber criminals also know that you can remember such series of numbers better than irregular numbers and letters. This makes it easy for them to hack your access data.
Because the perpetrators only want one thing by misusing data:
- to relieve you of your money and
- to misuse your good name for fraudulent purposes or in any other damaging way
The State Criminal Police Office of North Rhine-Westphalia (LKA NRW) has therefore launched a new campaign for more security when using digital devices. The campaign helps you to build "mnemonic bridges" in an innovative and humorous way and to create an individual secure password more easily
If you use a permanently strong, secure password, you can actively increase your own personal security in the virtual world.
How to create your own personal, secure password
Use your imagination and create a sentence that only you know, but that you will easily remember.
Then just add the first letter of each word and the punctuation marks from this sentence. Your personalized password is ready.
- It is at least ten characters long.
- It contains letters, numbers and special characters.
- You assign a separate "code" for each portal - a new strong password from a new, abbreviated sentence.
- Create and use strong passwords for all access to online services, email accounts, social media forums and especially for access to customer accounts at financial institutions.
- Create and use different passwords for your various online accesses.
- Save your passwords in suitable places.
- Be sparing with the disclosure of your personal data.
- In the event of damage, file a criminal complaint with the police.
You can find more information about your password security at www.mach-dein-Passwort-stark.de
The prevention campaign of the LKA NRW was developed together with the Verbraucherzentrale NRW (VZ), the Bundesverband der Verbraucherinitiative e.V. (VI) and eco - Verband der Internetwirtschaft e.V. (with the prevention website "Smart und Sicher surfen im Internet" (Susii NRW)) and the district police authorities of the state in order to protect you even better from cybercrime with immediate effect.
