Two main things make a password insecure - people guessing it or people using brute force hacking. Pick a password that people who know you won't guess. Use a complex password to make brute force cracking much harder.

It's best not to write your password down. A complex password is essential so you might have to write it down if you are prone to forgetting them. A complex password discretely written down is probably better than a simple one you can remember.

Don't Use:

• Your name
• Date of birth or birthday
• Any other personal information that could be guessed
• Hobbies, jobs or pass-times you have that people could guess
• Names of friends or family
• Names of pets
• Phone numbers or addresses
• Any real words that can be found in a dictionary

Do Use:

• Slang or made-up words that only you know (and can remember)
• characters other than letters or numbers, like £, &, ", >, <
• A mixture of letters and numbers
• Mixed case (both UPPER CASE and lower case). Example: PaSSwoRd.
• A longer password. E-gold insists on 6 or more. Longer is always better.

A great way of making complex passwords that you can remember is to use the first letter of a sentence you know well. Song lyrics or a line from your favorite movie is a good choice.