Don’t Set Up Simple Passwords
Hackers can easily figure out simple passwords — the kind that involve your name, your pet’s name. a birthday, and maybe a random number or two. If you insist on a password like Mary123, you are likely going to find yourself needing to change it often to avoid privacy issues. A complex password that involves a series of upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols, is the best kind of password.
But, of course, the issue with complex passwords is that they are impossible to remember — and keeping your passwords stored in Notes isn’t advisable, either. The great news is that you can rely on your OS X’s built-in password generator to create (and recall) lengthy, impossible-to-hack passwords.
To generate a difficult password launch Keychain Access from the Applications/Utility folder. Select Passwords from the categories on the left. Click the + button at the bottom of your screen. Click the Key button from a pop-up window that shows up. With Password Assistant now open, choose Memorable and rely on Suggestion to take a simple password you create and turn it into a more complex one.
Now that you have more secure passwords set up for all of your accounts, remember another golden rule: do NOT open spam on your Mac. Unsolicited emails and attachments are a red flag, as are pop-ups that claim your Mac has a virus. Downloading a free browser extension like Adblock can help prevent these pop-ups.