Tips To Keep Your Password Secure

Your password is valuable – it protects your identity and personal information. Your Carilion password also protects our organization’s information (including patient information). That’s why cybercriminals will go to great lengths to find out your password.

Passwords You Shouldn’t Use

Each year, internet security firms release lists of the most frequently used passwords that were discovered in data breaches. Here are a few examples of common passwords that are easy for hackers to guess:

password
123456
qwerty
111111
login
iloveyou

To stay safe, avoid using the passwords above (or variations of them) for your personal accounts.

Other passwords to avoid (these password formulas are commonly used and easily guessed by hackers):

Don’t use seasons or years (example: winter, fall, spring2020, summer2021, etc.)
When changing your Carilion password, don’t use the word “Carilion” or any derivatives of Carilion (for example: C@rilion or C@r1l1on).
Never use a password for more than one website.

Strengthen Your Password

Here are some tips to make your password stronger:

Longer passwords are better, and they don’t need to be complicated. Consider a phrase of words that’s meaningful to you. Example: “Carvin’s Cove is beautiful!”
Passphrases are stronger than passwords, and they are easier to remember.
Consider putting a special character in the beginning or middle of the password, not at the end. Example: “Carvin’s Cove = beautiful.”
Avoid repeating numbers or letters.