The vast majority of us probably have an email account, either for work, personal use or anything in between.
And as handy as they are for keeping in contact with other people, businesses and things we care about, they aren't always the most secure as hackers can strike at any moment and access your personal information.
But having a strong password can help to reduce the risks of this happening. Recent research has shown that the word 'password' itself is still the most common email password in the UK, giving thieves the ideal opportunity to hack your account and commit fraud.
However, the Mirror reports that there is a very simple method to make accounts less hackable.
The latest advice from the UK's National Cyber Security Centre says the best way to keep things secure is to use three seemingly random words that hold some type of meaning for you.
By adding these together along with a symbol like an exclamation mark, this should hopefully make you remember it but won't be easy for thieves to crack.
For example, if you are born in March, love the colour red and pizza is your favourite food you could pick something such as MarchRedPizza! as your code.
Going into more detail, a spokesperson from the National Cyber Security Centre said: “Combining 3 random words that each mean something to you is a great way to create a password that is easy to remember but hard to crack. Do not use words that can be guessed (like your pet's name). You can include numbers and symbols if needed. For example, Hippo!PizzaRocket1.
"By using a password that’s made up of three random words, you’re creating a password that will be ‘strong enough’ to keep the criminals out, but easy enough for you to remember.”
Turning on two-step verification (2SV) for your email account is another handy way to deter hackers. It gives you twice the protection so even if cyber criminals have your password, they can't access your email.
2SV works by asking for more information to prove your identity. For example, getting a code sent to your phone when you sign in using a new device or change settings such as your password.
You won't be asked for this every time you check your email.
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