Q. How do I create strong passwords?

A. The password must have at least eight characters and contain at least one number, at least one lower case letter, at least one upper case letter and at least one non-alphanumeric character. Non-alphanumeric characters are all those keys on your keyboard that are not numbers or letters. They include ?, >, ) and other symbols and punctuation marks.

Here are some examples of passwords that comply with this rule: Exercise!10; 2read>Books. There is good advice on the dos and don'ts of passwords in the publication 'No Data No Business' available from the publications and reports section of the GPIT web site, www.gpit.ie It is probably not a great idea to keep changing passwords because you will not remember them when you need them.

However, if you share a password with someone else, then change it. Nowadays, we tend to have different passwords for different services and websites. A good way to keep track of them is with a password manager. A previous question in this series discussed password management software. Go to www.gpit.ie/faq and enter the word 'password' to access the article.