One, two, buckle my shoe. Three, four, open the door…to hackers! Did you know that 1234 is everyone’s password – everyone who isn’t being careful, that is. It is important to choose a good password, one that is not easy to hack.

For example, it is great to mix it up with numbers, letters and symbols, and, of course, choose something that is not obvious. You shouldn’t ever use dictionary words, and it is harder to crack a password that is twelve characters, as opposed to the often standard eight character minimum.

Also, you are only as strong as your weakest link. In other words, your password should not be the same, universally, for all of your devices. Choose a different password for your phone, your iPad, your laptop, your home computer, your office computer and so on.

It is just as important, however, to change your password to keep your computer and information safe from hackers. It is a good idea to change your passwords every three to four months or so, so make a note.

Changing password is so important in the war against cyber thieves and in efforts to protect our information and accounts that there is even software out there to help you manage and remember your password changes. Two helpful programs are KeepPass and 1Password.