Some have used the pandemic, and now the extended inclement weather, to learn to play a musical instrument, speak a new language or another new skill. If those are beyond any of your reasonable expectations, do not simply resort to binge-watching old sitcoms, rom-coms or drama-coms. Instead, turn your cooped-up time into password checkup time.

One of the better password strength-checking websites is The Password Meter. Remember, however, do not use your real password. Instead, substitute a different term with similar length and complexity characteristics. For instance, if your password is “Puppylove14” (which it never would be if you follow our prior password Tips), substitute “Kittyfond67.” Any password scoring below 95% should be changed, especially if it contains information about you that is easily obtained (birthdate, home town, high school, college mascot, mother’s maiden name, favorite color, etc.). Simply adding an additional number or symbol randomly in the password will often get you to 100%.

And when you have finished shoring up your passwords, be equally diligent keeping them confidential and secure.