First of all, do not reveal your password to anyone. It may be tempting or convenient to divulge your password to someone else, but it is an unnecessary risk that you should not take. Even if it is a friend or family member that you absolutely trust, you never know who may be listening in. In order to maximize your security and minimize the risk of your security being compromised, you should not give out important passwords to anyone under any circumstances. Additionally, if you are ever contacted by someone claiming to be an agent or representative of a company with which you have an account, they will not ask you to reveal your password. Do not reveal your password to anyone, regardless of why they claim to need it.

When browsing the internet, be careful where you enter your personal information. Certain sites known as "phishing" sites pose as legitimate sites in order to trick uses into entering their personal information. If you are suspicious about the authenticity of a website, don't use it. Check the address bar and make sure that the URL matches the one you were intending to visit exactly.

When choosing a password, avoid using any common words or phrases. Cracking programs are widely available that will attempt common strings of text to crack passwords. Using a random combination of letters and numbers will significantly increase your security. If possible, take advantage of case-sensitive passwords, which allow you to create an additional layer of security by using capital and lower case letters which must be replicated exactly in order to access your account.

Do not transmit your personal information (including passwords) over unsecured wireless networks. If your home network is unsecured, you should have it secured immediately. Contact that manufacturer of your wireless router for details on how to secure your network. If you are unsure as to whether or not your home network is secured, it is most likely not. Be default, most wireless routers ship from the manufacturer with the secure feature turned off. You must manually lock your network to prevent unauthorized users from accessing your network. If your network is left open, anyone within range of your Wi-Fi signal (sometimes up to a block away) can intercept all data that is transmitted between all computers on your network and your router. Depending on the type of router you have, securing your network will cause a certain type of encryption to be applied to all data that is transmitted, making it extremely difficult to be cracked. Additionally, avoid transmitting personal information over open networks at places like coffee shops and hotels, as there may be predators monitoring information sent over those open networks.

If you have trouble remembering your password, or if you need to juggle multiple passwords, write them down on a piece of paper and keep that paper in a secure location like a safe. If you use your browser's password manager to remember your passwords, keep in mind that others may potentially be able to potentially access your computer, and thus have access to your personal accounts. Never use the password manager feature on public or work computers that are shared with other users.

Although the internet is filled with criminals looking to steal private information for the purposes of fraud, it is not something that you will need to worry about as long as you follow the above guidelines. Maintaining a strict password policy will ensure that your private data is protected and that your security is never compromised.