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Digital safety

Make your sign-in harder to steal.

Use unique passwords and add another layer of protection, one important account at a time.

About 5 minutes to read · 3 steps · Try one thing, keep what helps

An older woman at her front door holds a ring of different keys in one hand and a phone showing a shield shape in the other.
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Start with a unique password

If the same password opens several accounts, a stolen password can expose more than one of them. Start with one important account and use a password you do not use elsewhere.

  1. Open the account through its official app or website.
  2. Use a long, unique password or passphrase. Get Cyber Safe suggests four or more random words and at least 15 characters for a passphrase.
  3. Avoid names, birthdays and examples printed in a guide like this one.

Sources:[1]

Add another sign-in step

Multi-factor authentication, often called MFA or two-step verification, adds protection beyond a password. Follow your account provider’s instructions for supported options.

  1. Find Security or Sign-in settings in the official account.
  2. Choose an option you can use reliably, with accessibility in mind.
  3. Follow the provider’s recovery instructions before you depend on a new sign-in method. Do not approve an unexpected sign-in request.

Sources:[2][3]

Keep help separate from secrets

A helper can explain a setting without asking you to announce your password. If you suspect a password was exposed, change it through the official account recovery process and change it anywhere it was reused.

  1. Never put a real password or recovery code into this website, a chat or a practice worksheet.
  2. Consider a reputable password manager if remembering unique passwords is difficult. Review its recovery options and protect its main password.

Sources:[1][3]

Try one small step

A little practice, no pressure.

Choose one account to improve. Find its official security instructions. Do not write down the password here; simply note on your own checklist when you have finished.

Sources & review

Source check: October 5, 2026. These links go to the original publishers; listing a source is not an endorsement. Safety and reporting guidance follows these official Canadian pages. Confirm current details there before acting.

  1. Get Cyber Safe — Passphrases, passwords and PINs - Get Cyber Safe
  2. Get Cyber Safe — Multi-factor authentication - Get Cyber Safe
  3. Get Cyber Safe — What to do if you are a victim of a phishing scam - Get Cyber Safe
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When you’re ready

Next guide: Give apps only the access they need. →