Most people might know May 4th as Star Wars Day (May the 4th be with you), but it is also World Password Day. Still using Password123 to keep your data safe? It might be time to rethink your passwords.

And what better way to celebrate World Password Day than to check the strength of the combinations of letters, numbers, and symbols we trust to keep our information safe every day? Don't worry, according to Security.org's password strength tool, "Entries are 100% secure and not stored in any way or shared with anyone. Period." So you can rest assured knowing that any password you check using this tool is not sent anywhere and is only visible locally on your device.

Some cool features of the password strength tool:

• The background color will change as you enter more characters, indicating the strength level of your password
• Beneath your password is an estimate of how long it would take to crack your password
• At the bottom of the screen you'll find tips to improve your password that are generated specifically for the combination of characters you entered
  
  

Questions:

• Have you ever used "password" in your password? Or personal information like your name, street name, etc.? Why do you think it's recommended to NOT do those things?
• How often do you change your passwords?
• Do you use a unique password for different accounts?
• Do you prefer convenience or effectiveness when it comes to creating a password? How does that impact the security of your information?

----------------

Give your students the skills needed to be a savvy consumer with NGPF's Consumer Skills unit.

----------------

Looking for more interactives? Be sure to check out the NGPF Interactive Library. 

About the Author

Ryan Wood

Ryan grew up with and maintains a love for learning. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay with a degree in Business Administration and worked in sports marketing for a number of years. After living in Texas, Colorado, Tennessee, and Minnesota, the call of education eventually brought Ryan back to his home state of Wisconsin where he was a Business and Marketing teacher for three years. In his free time he likes to spend time with his wife and daughter, play basketball, read, and go fishing. Now with NGPF, Ryan is excited to help teachers lead the most important course their students will ever take.

More posts by Ryan