Passwords and PINs
With a shift towards a more digital world, having strong and secure passwords and PINs has become essential. Learn how to create a strong password and PIN to protect you and your family.
Weak passwords
Weak passwords are susceptible to clever guesswork and various types of password hacking techniques. Although it’s not always easy to make up or remember passwords, creating a strong, unique password is a vital part of protecting your information from unauthorized access. Remember to never share your passwords with your family or friends. Your passwords are secret and must be known only to you.
Below are a few examples of information to avoid when creating passwords.
Common information
Do not include your birth date, phone number, names of family members, or information identified online.
Short passwords
Avoid using the minimum 6-8 character limit. Longer passwords make it harder for others to guess.
Old passwords
Do not reuse old passwords on different accounts and logins. Using unique passwords ensures that if one of your online accounts is breached the rest remain safe.
Keyboard combinations
Do not incorporate adjacent keyboard combinations (for example, “qWerty”, “asdzxc”, “qeadzc”).
Common numbers and words
Avoid simple sequences of numbers or letters (for example, “123456”, “111111” “AABBCC”) and common words (for example, "password" or "login”).
How do I create a strong password?
The strongest and most reliable form of password you can create is called a passphrase.
A passphrase is created when you take a phrase and convert it to a password using a combination of different letters, capitalization, and special characters.
Let’s take a look at how you can create a passphrase.
How to create a passphrase
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Step 1
Create a phrase
Come up with a phrase that’s personal to you and easy to remember.
Example: My favourite colour combination is black and pink.
Phrases can also be created by using information:
- That relates to the content of the website. For example: I always love to share photos with my friends and family.
- Such as a long quote or song lyric. For example: Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get.
- Such as a sequence of seemingly unrelated words that are only meaningful to you. For example: Sleep water dance chicken wings family laughter growth adventure.
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Step 2
Take the first letter of each word
Take the first letter of each word in your phrase and combine them.
Step 1 passphrase: My favourite colour combination is black and pink.
Step 2 passphrase: Mfccibap -
Step 3
Use uppercase and lowercase letters
Take your passphrase and start mixing uppercase and lowercase letters.
Step 2 passphrase: Mfccibap
Step 3 passphrase: MfcciBaP -
Step 4
Substitute special characters
Replace some of the letters with numbers and special characters or add them to the start or end of your passphrase.
Step 3 passphrase: MfcciBaP
Finished passphrase: *Mfcc!BaP12*
That's it!
With these four easy steps, you can create a strong and secure password using the passphrase technique.
Take Action!
Are your passwords and PINs strong and secure? Did you use the passphrase technique to create them?
YesPIN
When creating a PIN, remember to select four unique digits (numbers, letters, or a combination of both) that you can remember.
Do not select your birth date, telephone number, license plate number, address, postal code, or another easy-to-guess combination.
Remember to shield the keypad when entering your PIN at an ABM or when making an Interac debit or credit card purchase.
Report an incident or suspicious activity