After a hacker had posted a list of over 6 million LinkedIn passwords on a Russian forum, LinkedIn confirmed the security breach and instructed its users to immediately take action to change their passwords.   However, these users should also take the precaution of changing their login credentials on all sites that use the same LinkedIn login username and passwords.

Below are some tips for creating a stronger password.

1. Ensure that the password is at least 8 characters in length.
2. The password should include the following categories:
   1. Lowercase letters
   2. Uppercase letters
   3. Numbers
   4. Special characters found on your keyboard such as ~, !, @, #, $, %, ^, &, *, (, )  <, >, ?, / etc…..
   5. The password should not contain a complete word such as a person’s name, place, company name
   6. Use acronyms to create a password.  Pick a phrase that is meaningful to you, for example one about your favorite vacations:  “June 7/09 Swimming with the penguins in Galapagos” could become j7/O9SwtpiNG
   7. Do not use one combination of usernames and passwords for your online identity. Keep a variety of different usernames and passwords.

If you have to store your login credentials, then store them in a safe place and don’t label them with obvious terms such as “passwords”.  However, the most secure password is one that you can commit to memory!

Change your passwords, don’t click on any suspicious links and stay safe!