---
title: "Passwords, Logins and Keeping an Account Yours"
description: "An account is only as private as the way into it. Length beats cleverness in a password, one password reused spreads a single break across every account, and a second factor stops most of what is left"
canonical: https://lightmysky.com/learn/computing/passwords-logins-and-keeping-an-account-yours-mt_ohI6ct6tO4
source: https://lightmysky.com/learn/computing/passwords-logins-and-keeping-an-account-yours-mt_ohI6ct6tO4.md
retrieved: 2026-09-12
---

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# Passwords, Logins and Keeping an Account Yours

An account is only as private as the way into it. Length beats cleverness in a password, one password reused spreads a single break across every account, and a second factor stops most of what is left.

Subject: Computing · Area: Digital Literacy · Ages 9 to 11
Page: https://lightmysky.com/learn/computing/passwords-logins-and-keeping-an-account-yours-mt_ohI6ct6tO4

## Ready when they can

- Say why a long passphrase is harder to guess than a short password with symbols in it
- Explain what goes wrong when the same password is used on several sites
- Describe what a second factor adds, and name something it does not protect against

## Lesson: Keep your account yours

A password proves you own your account. It guards mail, games and chats. Attackers guess easy picks like pet names and 123456. They trick you with fake pages.

**Example.** Length beats tricks. Each new letter grows the guesses a thief must try. A long line of plain words cracks far slower than one short word with marks. Pick long words easy to remember.

Never reuse one password. If one site breaks, thieves walk into your other accounts with the same key. Keep each account on its own key. Never share keys with anyone.

Use a second factor where you can. That means two proofs. Something you know, something you have, like a code on a parent's phone. The third kind is something you are, like a fingerprint or face. Guard both, since tricks can steal codes and an open phone gives both away.

**Recap.** Go long, keep each key apart, and add a second proof.

## Practice

8 questions on this page, each with its working shown.

## Needs first

- [Where a File Lives: Folders, Names and Backups](https://lightmysky.com/learn/computing/where-a-file-lives-folders-names-and-backups-mt_UvLO9CA3BY)
- [Basic digital citizenship](https://lightmysky.com/learn/personal-and-social-development/basic-digital-citizenship-mt_zIzJGkaj0Q)

## Opens up

- [Reusing Someone Else's Work: Licences and Giving Credit](https://lightmysky.com/learn/computing/reusing-someone-elses-work-licences-and-giving-credit-mt_SeLxugBmM7)
- [Cyber Threats and How Systems Defend](https://lightmysky.com/learn/computing/cyber-threats-and-how-systems-defend-mt_zMJzhIdEWd)