{"id":266,"date":"2025-11-27T14:01:49","date_gmt":"2025-11-27T19:01:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/rdmoer\/?post_type=chapter&#038;p=266"},"modified":"2026-03-01T23:08:36","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T04:08:36","slug":"using-strong-passwords-and-encryption","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/rdmoer\/chapter\/using-strong-passwords-and-encryption\/","title":{"raw":"Using Strong Passwords and Encryption","rendered":"Using Strong Passwords and Encryption"},"content":{"raw":"<h4><a href=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/rdmoer\/chapter\/technical-safeguards\/\">Previous Lesson<\/a><\/h4>\r\n<h4><img class=\"wp-image-779 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/rdmoer\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2528\/2025\/11\/1-5-300x194.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1141\" height=\"738\" \/><\/h4>\r\n<h4>Lesson 9 of 18<\/h4>\r\n<h3>You should use strong passwords for your accounts.<\/h3>\r\n<h3><strong>Tips for strong passwords:<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Use a combination of upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Use nondictionary words<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Use a passphrase (e.g., 4 random words)<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nConsider using a password manager to help you generate, store, and remember passwords. You only need to remember one password, and password managers can sync across your devices. LastPass and KeePass are examples.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nEncryption protects your data by converting it into unreadable code that is decrypted when a decryption key or password is entered. Note that if the key or password is lost, you will not be able to recover your data. Consult with your local IT support for advice and assistance.\r\n<h3><strong>Some ways you can encrypt your data include:<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Encrypt the hard drive of your computer; common tools are BitLocker for Windows and FileVault on a Mac.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Encrypt your mobile devices by setting a passcode on an iPhone or iPad or checking manufacturer support for encrypting other devices.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Encrypt files or folders with tools like 7zip (Windows) and iZip (Mac).<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Create encrypted containers with a tool like VeraCrypt (Windows\/Mac) or iZip (Mac).<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Use Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) encryption software (e.g., GnuGP) to encrypt data and communications.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<div class=\"textbox\">\r\n\r\nDo not share encryption keys or passwords by email. Doing so can mean the key is being stored on servers that you don\u2019t control.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<h4><a href=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/rdmoer\/chapter\/select-appropriate-storage-options\/\">Next Lesson<\/a><\/h4>","rendered":"<h4><a href=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/rdmoer\/chapter\/technical-safeguards\/\">Previous Lesson<\/a><\/h4>\n<h4><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-779 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/rdmoer\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2528\/2025\/11\/1-5-300x194.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1141\" height=\"738\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/rdmoer\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2528\/2025\/11\/1-5-300x194.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/rdmoer\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2528\/2025\/11\/1-5-1024x661.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/rdmoer\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2528\/2025\/11\/1-5-768x496.jpg 768w, https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/rdmoer\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2528\/2025\/11\/1-5-65x42.jpg 65w, https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/rdmoer\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2528\/2025\/11\/1-5-225x145.jpg 225w, https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/rdmoer\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2528\/2025\/11\/1-5-350x226.jpg 350w, https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/rdmoer\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2528\/2025\/11\/1-5.jpg 1350w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1141px) 100vw, 1141px\" \/><\/h4>\n<h4>Lesson 9 of 18<\/h4>\n<h3>You should use strong passwords for your accounts.<\/h3>\n<h3><strong>Tips for strong passwords:<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Use a combination of upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols<\/li>\n<li>Use nondictionary words<\/li>\n<li>Use a passphrase (e.g., 4 random words)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Consider using a password manager to help you generate, store, and remember passwords. You only need to remember one password, and password managers can sync across your devices. LastPass and KeePass are examples.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Encryption protects your data by converting it into unreadable code that is decrypted when a decryption key or password is entered. Note that if the key or password is lost, you will not be able to recover your data. Consult with your local IT support for advice and assistance.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Some ways you can encrypt your data include:<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Encrypt the hard drive of your computer; common tools are BitLocker for Windows and FileVault on a Mac.<\/li>\n<li>Encrypt your mobile devices by setting a passcode on an iPhone or iPad or checking manufacturer support for encrypting other devices.<\/li>\n<li>Encrypt files or folders with tools like 7zip (Windows) and iZip (Mac).<\/li>\n<li>Create encrypted containers with a tool like VeraCrypt (Windows\/Mac) or iZip (Mac).<\/li>\n<li>Use Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) encryption software (e.g., GnuGP) to encrypt data and communications.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox\">\n<p>Do not share encryption keys or passwords by email. Doing so can mean the key is being stored on servers that you don\u2019t control.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h4><a href=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/rdmoer\/chapter\/select-appropriate-storage-options\/\">Next Lesson<\/a><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"author":2543,"menu_order":9,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-266","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"part":248,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/rdmoer\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/266","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/rdmoer\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/rdmoer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/rdmoer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2543"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/rdmoer\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/266\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":780,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/rdmoer\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/266\/revisions\/780"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/rdmoer\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/248"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/rdmoer\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/266\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/rdmoer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=266"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/rdmoer\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=266"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/rdmoer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=266"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/rdmoer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=266"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}