Creating stronger passwords

Tip: 1 of 7 Don’t use your personal information

Using your name, birthday, business name, family members’ or pets’ names may make your passwords easier to remember, but it also makes them easy to work out with just a little background knowledge and some cross-referencing.

Tip: 2 of 7 Create long passwords

The shorter a password is, the easier it is to guess. As a rule, create passwords that are at least eight characters long, but even longer than that is better. Make sure it’s not a straightforward word found in the dictionary, too.

Tip: 3 of 7 Use a mixture of letters, numbers and symbols

Don’t just stick to lowercase letters - mix it up. Add in uppercase letters, numbers and symbols like @ % ! and & to create a stronger password.

And a word to the wise: tricks like changing an E for a 3 are fairly common, so make sure this isn’t the only thing you do.

Tip: 4 of 7 Use a phrase to create your password

Pick a phrase that means something to you. For example: ‘A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away’. Take the first letter of every word to get Altaiagf,fa - then change some letters into special characters.

Tip: 5 of 7 Protect your password

Use a different password for every website. Never reveal them to anybody, and try not to write them down. Instead of writing them down you could use an online password vault or safe which will remember them and keep them safe for you. Search for 'password managers' online to find out more.

If one of your accounts is hacked, change your password immediately - and the passwords for any other accounts with the same login details.

Tip: 6 of 7 Don’t use any of these!

Here are some of the most common (and easiest to hack!) passwords people use - we strongly recommend you follow our tips above and avoid these passwords, and passwords similar to these.

Tip: 7 of 7 Your Tesco password

To ensure your Tesco password is strong, it must be at least eight characters long and contain at least three of the following:

• one uppercase letter
• one lowercase letter
• one special character eg ! ? £ $ #
• one number

If you'd like to change your Tesco password, you can log into to your account here.