Your account or server is only as secure as your weakest password - the stronger (more complex) the password you set, the less chance you have of your account being compromised.

Believe us when we tell you that there are bots that fly round the internet, trying various domains and IPs with brute force password hacks. If you want to be robust against such attacks you'll need to set strong passwords. 

Here are some tips to help you. 

A bad password:

• Uses dictionary words.
• Is shorter than 8 characters.
• Doesn't include numbers or symbols.

If that sounds like your password - change it now!

A good password should:

• Have at least 8 characters, preferably more.
• Use a combination of UPPER and lowercase letters.
• Use numbers.
• Use symbols.
• Use no dictionary words.
• Be easy to remember.

Now, you might be thinking - how on earth can I generate a password that has all the traits of a strong password which is ALSO easy to remember! It's actually easier than you think - you just have to find a process that is right for you.

Say for instance, your favourite sports team is the New York Yankees, and you were born in 1974.

A great password could be:

Y@nk33$1974!

Which, to help you remember it, looks a little bit like YANKEES1974!

There you go! A password which is 12 characters long, uses upper and lowercase letters, symbols and numbers - but you've used them in such a way that you make those symbols and numbers easier to tie into a word you'll remember.

The story/sentence approach:

Another method for coming up with a good, memorable password is to create a simple story or sentence which is relevant to you, and take only the first/last letters of each word. 

For example, "When I was on holiday in 2002 I visited the Louvre", shortening 2002 to '02, would generate "WIwohi'02IvtL".

From where you can also substitute some letters for numbers/symbols ("I" for "1" or "!" for example).