You probably know how important it is to have strong passwords, especially when you entrust certain websites to hold your personal information secure. Although there might be little you can do to prevent a large-scale data breach, you can take steps to better secure your passwords.

• Avoid common word and character combinations. Create a password that other people won't guess. Stay away from using "password" or "qwerty," and don't use your name or nickname.
• Choose longer passwords. Eight characters is an excellent starting point when creating a strong password, but even longer logins are better.
• Don't recycle passwords. You might be tempted to use the same password across several platforms, but if someone uncovers your password for one account, they might gain access to other ones.

If you're still leery about your passwords, consider using a password manager. The best passwords have more than eight characters and contain a variety of special symbols and numbers. If you have difficulty remembering challenging passwords, consider using a program such as LastPass or 1Password. All you need to remember is the master password to unlock all the other passwords stored by these managers.

Source: Us.norton.com, Cnet.com