• Passwords must be at least 8 characters long.

• Avoid using a password that is the same or similar to one you use on any other websites.

• Avoid the most common passwords that criminals can easily guess, like ‘password’. 

• Avoid creating passwords from significant dates (like your birthday, or a loved one’s), or from your favourite sports team, or by using family and pet names. 
• If you’re thinking of changing certain characters in your password (so swapping the letter ‘o' with a zero, for example), you should know that cyber criminals know these tricks as well. So your password won’t be significantly stronger, but it will be harder for you to remember.
• Avoid writing your password down on a piece of paper that could be found by someone else.
• A good way to make your password difficult to crack is by combining three random words to create a single password. Or you could use a password manager, which can create strong passwords for you (and remember them).

For more information and guidance on staying safe online, visit the National Cyber Security Centre.