How often do you change the password for your email address? How many times do you reuse the same password on multiple sites? Do your passwords contain upper and lower case letters, symbols, numbers, or, preferably, a combination of all four?

While these things may seem like a hassle, they are important. Hackers can run programs to help guess your password, often gaining access to personal information like your address, birthday, phone number or credit card numbers, says the California Attorney General's Office. Changing your passwords regularly and making them hard to guess may help deter hackers. The FTC suggests thinking of a phrase or word and then substituting numbers and symbols for some of the letters.