When a website is hacked, criminals try the stolen password on other sites. If you use the same one everywhere, one leak opens everything.
Step by step
- Make a list (on paper, kept safe at home) of your most important accounts: email, bank, shopping.
- Note which ones share the same password, without writing the passwords themselves.
- Start with email: it can reset all your other passwords.
- Change one shared password per week.
Common mistakes
- Using a pet’s name or birthday that anyone can find on social media.
Try it yourself
- Make your list of important accounts.
Printable cheat sheet: Why Passwords Matter
- Make a list (on paper, kept safe at home) of your most important accounts: email, bank, shopping.
- Note which ones share the same password, without writing the passwords themselves.
- Start with email: it can reset all your other passwords.
- Change one shared password per week.
Print this page and keep the sheet by your device. Never write passwords or PINs on it.
Good to know: Take your time and go at your own pace. Nobody genuine will ever ask you for a password, PIN or one-time code, and you never need to share them to follow this lesson. If anything on your screen looks unexpected, stop and ask a family member or your Tech Helper.