It's that time of year again, back to school and for a lot of that means we'll be setting up new login accounts to use the Internet and communicate with our friends and teachers.

Pop Quiz! Did you know what the most frequently used password throughout the world is?

Tick tock, tick tock... times up. "password." Yes, that is correct. I was blown away when I learned this, but the most frequently used word for a password is "password." Uh-oh, I saw some faces out there turn red. No worry, I'm here to help.

Passwords are meant to protect you and therefore should not be easily guessed. Strong passwords are easy to create and remember with just a little help. Here are a few password rules to get you started:

  • Don't use words found in the dictionary; they are just too easy for someone else to guess.
  • Use as much of the keyboard as possible when creating passwords. By substituting numbers, special characters, and both upper and lower case letters, you can add some pizzazz to your password. Exchange special characters and numbers for letters they resemble. For example, use an exclamation point for the number 1 or in place of the lower case "L." Let's use the word parallel as our example and apply the substitutions. Using numbers and special characters the password becomes para11e! Now you have an easy to remember, hard to guess password and you haven't violated the first password rule.
  • Using eight characters is generally a good rule of thumb. More than eight is better, but can be a challenge to remember.
  • Using the first letter of each word in a phrase is also a great way to create a password. Let's use the phrase "My office is located on the eighth floor." The corresponding letters are moilotef. We are off to a good start because this is clearly not a word found in the dictionary. Let's add some muscle to the password by substituting some special characters and numbers. The new password, Moi!ot8f, starts out using a capital letter, uses an exclamation point in place of the letter "l" and replaces the word eighth with the number 8.
  • Kids, never share your passwords. It might seem cool and your buds may ask, but it won't be cool if they do something you don't like. If your buds keep asking, talk it over with your parents or a teacher.
  • Don't use the "remember me on this computer" option when logging into websites from a shared or public computer.

Comcast provides a password strength meter to assist you when resetting or creating a new password for your comcast.net accounts.

As you type your chosen password, the pointer on the meter bar will move to the right as your password gets stronger. I recommend never using a password that is less than "Strong" on the indicator.

That's it! Not so hard is it? And using a stronger password will help keep your information and files protected allowing you to enjoy all the internet has to offer with less worry.

For more information on safety tips and tools to keep you and your family safe, visit www.comcast.net/security