What do passwords do?

Anyone who uses a device, whether it is a computer, a phone, or a tablet, will have used a password. In fact, you needed to use a password to log in to this site to view this course. But what are passwords, and how can we use them to keep us safe?

Passwords are used to protect our data. This might be when we log in to a device, such as when we turn on a computer; when we log in to a website, like logging in to this website; or when we open an app, such as an online banking app. Passwords protect our data by making us prove we are who we say we are. This means that other people can’t gain access to our devices, or our accounts.

We are likely to have lots of very important data protected by a password. For example, if we have online banking, or we use a banking app, all of our financial information will be protected by a password. If we’ve ever sent or received anything important by email, this will be protected by a password. If we’ve ever used social media, we will have important information protected by a password. If we have any smart technology at home, such as a smart meter, smart lighting, or a smart doorbell, this will also be protected by a password. In fact, it’s difficult to think of anything that we could do on our devices that isn’t protected by a password in some way.

We need to use passwords to protect our information because some people might want to steal it. These cybercriminals can these use this information to steal money, or cause other problems. In fact, according to cyber security company Verizon, 80% of security breaches are caused by compromised, weak, or reused passwords. So, it is really important that we keep ourselves safe with good passwords.