By Robert Plunkett and Richard M. Sherwin

If a well-run retailer like Target can’t protect their own financial firewall and your credit card information as hackers proved recently, how vulnerable is the average consumer in protecting their own computers and Tablets from being broken into?

And how can consumers protect their first line of defense…their passwords?

If you have simple passwords protecting your internet access and information chances are very good that hackers can tap into your web activities anytime they want. Password hacking is a very sophisticated affair by very determined people who try to break your passwords and security codes.

They use a technique called a “brute force attack”, which relies on automated computer software to guess every possible combination to crack your personal code. And the software is fast – guessing one hundred billion combinations a second.  If your password is simple they can usually break it in less than a minute. The key is to outwit the software. You can do this by adding numbers, symbols, and a mix of lower and upper case letters to your code and making your password longer.

With 26 letters in the alphabet, each additional letter makes your password 26 times harder to crack. Symbols are better since there are over 1500 symbols a hacking program needs to run so one extra asterisk or exclamation point can make it 1500 times more difficult to pry open your accounts.

Of course some major websites and financial organizations won’t allow you to use symbols making it difficult to find a way to protect yourself. Other password protected programs or computer applications don’t understand symbols when you try to use them in your passwords.

However, many computer security experts also remind us that consumers themselves make themselves more vulnerable by using their home addresses or apartment numbers (easily remembered) as their passwords

So if you can, use the symbols please. If you can’t use symbols, do not use common repeatable words or letters like your home address or phone number or apartment number. When hackers learn your password for one hacking experience they can easily try and repeat that password for anything they’ve learned about you from your financial information to your government and social security info to your medical and other personal data.

Most websites prompt you to create a code with a minimum and maximum amount of characters, usually between 8 and 14. Since each additional character increases your odds of staying safe, use the maximum. If you can enter 14 characters, then enter 14. Put these tips together and instead of using something like safety77, which hackers can crack in second, try safety77)/)/)/, which would take hundreds of years to crack. It might be tough to type but it is more secure. And that’s the point.

A total random password with letters, numbers and symbols is best but hard to remember. The trick is to use two symbols in a repeating pattern. It’s harder for hacking software, but easier for you.

If you think your modem or home network is safe because you have firewalls and other security programs built into your cable or service providers’ equipment…think again.

You need to double your home routers’ or modems’ network security by remembering to activate your passwords. Many consumers get a password from their service provider only to keep their network open for the convenience of friends, neighbors and relatives. How to check whether your home network is “open”? Simply use your WiFi setting to see your “modem or router” listed and if there’s no security checked next to it or if it says “open” then activate your password from the routers setting. Most service providers will show you how to do that easily and quickly.

If you think that because you live in an isolated section of town or have no other homes right near you you’re safe, think again. A car or van equipped with WiFi can see your home’s security settings from more than a mile away.

And finally, one of the newest tricks hackers are using is the make believe security check by your router or modem or even your anti-virus company.

You will get a call saying that the caller is from your computer manufacturer or anti-virus or modem company claiming that they’ve spotted vulnerability in your home settings. When you check the caller ID, the number could even say Netgear or IBM or Dell or Norton or even AT@T, so you truly believe it’s a real security call. They will then ask you to open up your PCs or Mac’s or Modem settings to let them check it out. Don’t ever do that!

Overseas hackers have now found a way to mimic the phone numbers of real companies, usually by creating a look-alike web site and phone numbers scrambled to be almost the same tech support phone you might call.

The best way to check is to ask the personal calling for their employee identify tag and to give you their phone number. Thy will often then say they’ll call you back or say they can’t give that phone number out. Just hang up.

If you have the time and patience, contact the company using the phone number on the equipment or software. Usually the real company can give you real advice.