Explore and adopt digital tools to generate safe passwords and secure them from prying eyes. Be sure to check out the TCEA TechNotes blog entry, World Password Day: A Free Game To Teach Password Security.
Use these digital tools below:
Generating secure passwords has gotten easier, but people still stumble with keeping track of them. Tools like Bitwarden, Keepass, and others serve as a secure password generator and vault. Bitwarden, which is free for personal use on all your devices, allows you to also generate two-factor authentication codes (2FA).
2FA is an extra layer of security used to make sure that people trying to gain access to an online account are who they say they are. First, a user will enter their username and a password. Then, instead of immediately gaining access, they will be required to provide another piece of information. This second factor could come from 1) something you know like a PIN or answer to a secret question; 2) something you have, like a credit card number or last 4 digits of your SSN#; or 3) something you are, like a fingerprint, an iris scan, or a voice print. (adapted from source)
Authentication software and apps rely on generating a code. But how do you know what code to use? A digital authenticator like Authy can help:
Cleaning out your computer can help out a lot. Use Bleachbit to clean out old deleted files still on your computer (Windows, Mac), or securely wipe your internet history. Bleachbit is also available in a portable version, which means you can run it off a USB flash drive or external drive.
Learning to use these tools is easy. Most come with a video tutorial you can watch.
Here are some additional tools for your consideration.