Digital Literacy

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Unit 4 | Staying Safe

Passwords and Pins ​

Passwords and pins are like keys. They are secret codes that allow you to unlock and access something, just like a key unlocks a door.

You can imagine a bouncer guarding a door. Before someone can enter, they need to tell the bouncer the secret code or else they will not open the door. Digital passwords work in a similar way, where you recruit a "bouncer" to guard something when you set up a password.

Bouncer by door

This works well in most cases, which is why you will see passwords and pins used in many places. However, there are some things to keep in mind to make sure that this works. For example, what if someone sits in front of the door and tries many different words to see if they get lucky?

Password vs. Pin

A password is usually a longer code, while a pin is usually a shorter code made up of numbers.

  • ex. Password: GoldenFish45
  • ex. Pin: 5612

We will use the term "password" to refer to both, since they are used in similar ways.

What is a "good" password? ​

  • Pick something that people don't know: You should not use words or numbers that other people will know. If you use your birthday or the name of your friend, then someone might try that first.

  • Use different passwords for different things: Just like how you might have a different key for different doors, it's good to have different passwords. If someone gets your password for one thing, you don’t want them to open everything else.

  • Change your password when needed: If you think someone knows your password, you can change it just like how you might change a lock. Just be careful because if you change your password too much, since then you might forget it. If you don’t know your password, you won’t be able to open the door anymore.

So what should I use for my passwords? ​

  • One trick is to use a bunch of random words. For example, someone might use bucket-of-red-cats as their password. This is something that is easy for them to remember, but hard for someone else to guess.

bucket of red cats

How do I remember so many different passwords ​

  • Do not write down a password on a piece of paper.
  • The best thing to do would be to use a password manager. A password manager is a program that will remember all your passwords for you. You only need to remember ONE password (the password that opens this program), and then you can check everything else.
  • When you are picking a password manager, you can ask someone you trust. For example, a password manager we recommend is called 'KeePass'.

Test your understanding ​

Which of the following is a good password?

Password: password123

Unfortunately, this is a weak password because it is easy to guess. It is a common password and it is short enough that someone could crack it by trying many different combinations.

Password: jan051992 (the person's date of birth)

Unfortunately, this is a bad password because people who know your date of birth and can easily guess your password.

Password: SomeSentenceWithNumbers123

Correct ​

This is a strong password because it is a combination of letters, numbers, and special characters. It is also long and not easy to guess.