Follow these seven steps for a hack-proof password

Experts warn against using information available on your social media profiles

1. Tech experts from online electrical retailer AO.com have revealed the most commonly used passwords in Britain from the last year, which would take an expert less than one second to crack.
2. The list includes passwords such as 123456, 123456789, qwerty, password, 123123, 111111 and so on.
3. A date of birth separated by full stops would take a hacker just 13 seconds to crack.
4. Therefore, while making a password avoid using information that is obvious or can be taken from your social media profiles.
5. Also avoid using your name, your pet’s name, the name of the street you grew up on, your favourite holiday destination or the name of your favourite sports team. Don’t choose a memorable word like your partner’s name as well.
6. Experts from the Home Office’s Cyber Aware campaign advise that a password must be made up of three unrelated words. This combination would reportedly take 35,000 years to crack, while adding a number ups the chances to 227m years.
7. However tedious it be, cyber experts suggest that there must be a different password for each important account.