impact
  • Home
    • About impact >
      • impact in a nutshell >
        • impact's origin story >
          • bio: Kathy Kaplan OAM
        • What else does impact do? >
          • Advocacy & awareness raising
          • Interest-free loans
          • Grants to Refuges
          • Bursaries
          • impactFUL launch party
          • Childcare at Moorabbin Court
      • Our Board >
        • Our vision, mission & values
        • Our policies >
          • Constitution
          • COVID-SAFE measures
          • Acknowledgement of Country
          • Privacy Policy
          • Inclusion Policy
          • Volunteer Policy
          • Child Safety Policy
        • AGM 2020
        • Last year's achievements
        • Board Only Section
    • What is Family Violence?
    • Myth Busting
    • Upcoming events
  • Ways to Help
    • How YOU can help
    • Messages of Hope
    • Donate your dollars
    • Donate your time, effort & skills
    • Bags of Love >
      • Bags of Love - how to help
      • Bags of Love - what to give
    • Trees of Love
    • Court Childcare Project
    • Give them a meal
    • Purses with Purpose
    • Become a sponsor >
      • Sponsor financially
      • Sponsor in kind
  • Get help
    • if your friend needs help
    • Who you can turn to
    • Create a safety plan
    • Tips to help a friend >
      • Helpful things to say, ask or do
      • Things NOT to say, ask or do
    • Tips for youth
    • Tips for male victims
    • Tips for LGBTIQ victims
    • Tips for older people
    • Tips if you witness violence
    • Stay safe online >
      • Conduct an online safety audit
      • Create a strong password
      • Mobile phone safety
      • Computer & internet safety
      • Online banking safety
      • Clear your devices' history
      • Disable tracking devices
  • Get involved
    • Become a Member
    • Volunteer >
      • Coffee Lunch & Craft Group
    • Events >
      • Upcoming events
      • Highlights of past events
  • Facts & Stats
    • What is Family Violence?
    • Australia's great shame: the facts >
      • Australia's death toll: 2021
      • Australia's death toll: 2020
      • Australia's death toll: 2019
      • Australia's death toll: 2018
    • Cycle of Abuse
    • Warning signs
    • Gaslighting
    • Royal Commission into Family Violence
    • National Community Attitudes Survey
  • Articles, Blogs & Personal Stories
    • News Articles & Blogs
    • Personal Stories
  • Contact us
Picture
Picture
Picture
Why you need a strong password:
If your password or PIN is captured, guessed or stolen, your perpetrator can potentially:
  • send emails from your accounts
  • withdraw money from your bank accounts
  • change files on your computer 
  • steal your identity
Will a strong password completely protect you?
​Strong passwords lower your overall risk of security breaches but they do not replace the need for other effective security controls such as:
  • installing anti-virus software and updates to your operating system as soon as they’re released
  • changing your passwords on a regular basis
What's the key to a strong password?
  • The longer it is, the stronger it is
  • Think of a passphrase that is made up of at least four words, including at least 12 characters: eg: themelbournecupistopsthenation
    Make it meaningful to you but not to anyone else so it is easy to remember
  • Try to use a combination of lower case & capital letters, numerals and symbols
    eg from above: 
    theM3lbournecup5topsthenat!0n
What NOT to include in your password:
  • repeated characters
  • arbitrarily mixed letters, numbers and symbols 
  • single dictionary words, your address or numeric sequences (such as 1234567)
  • personal information
  • anything you have previously used
What about Password Managers?
  • Password Managers are useful and can be downloaded onto your computer, smartphone or tablet. Some Password Managers will sync across your devices - very useful.
  • Password Managers can not only store your passwords for you, they can also generate and remember secure passwords as well
  • The downside is that if the Password Manager is breached, all your information is accessible so MAKE SURE YOUR MASTER PASSWORD IS VERY STRONG & SECURE
What is two-factor authentication?
  • Two-factor authentication simply means there are two checks in place to prove your identity like a code being sent to your mobile
  • If, for example, your banking password is hacked and you have two-factor authentication activated on your account, the hacker won't be able to gain access to your accounts because BOTH levels of authentication are required.
  • Click here to learn more about two-factor authentication
Password and PIN hygiene:
  • Do NOT use the same password for multiple services or websites
  • Do NOT share your passwords with anyone
  • Do NOT provide your password in response to a phone call or email regardless of how legitimate it might seem
  • Do NOT provide your password to a website you have accessed by following a link in an email - it may be a phishing trap
    Phishing is an attempt to obtain sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and credit card details, often for malicious reasons, by disguising the site as trustworthy
  • Be VERY cautious about using password-protected services on a public computer or over a public wifi hotspot
  • If you think your password may have been compromised, CHANGE IT IMMEDIATELY and CHECK FOR ANY UNAUTHORISED ACTIVITY.
    ​If the same compromised password has been used on another site, create a new password there as well.
Perhaps also consider:
  • Deactivating your accounts 
    - you can always reactivate them later when it is safe to do so
  • Creating new accounts in a false name with a generic photo and only tell your closest friends
  • Explain to your friends and family that you are at risk and ask them to set their privacy settings to 'friends only'
  • Ask your friends to not to accept friend requests from people they don't know.
  • Request that your friends to NOT post information or photos about you or your children online
  • Remind your friends to NEVER give out your phone number, address, email or other social media addresses
Picture
EVERY DOLLAR MAKES A DIFFERENCE
Picture


impact acknowledges the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People as the First Peoples of Australia, the traditional owners of the lands and waters throughout Australia: lands and waters which have never been ceded.
​We recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and community and we pay our respects to their peoples, their cultures, their languages and to their elders past, present and emerging.

​
View impact's Privacy Policy here

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture


​impact is very proud to call the following organisations our key partners:
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
ABN: 17 159 728 753
PO BOX 217 GLEN HUNTLY 3163

Copyright © 2020