Safe Passwords

black iphone 5 beside brown framed eyeglasses and black iphone 5 c
Type: Vocabulary
Originally published on October 10, 2020 and last updated on February 4, 2023

In today’s modern world of technology, passwords are something which everybody needs to have, whether it be to access emails, social media or bank accounts. Most applications encourage you to use a password that is difficult for others to guess, but despite this, some people continue to use passwords that are easy to guess making themselves susceptible to hackers.

Even with a secure password, it can often be the case that even more security measures are preferred such as two-factor authentication, where in addition to a password you are also sent a code to your mobile phone which you need to enter to log in to your account.

Instructions:
Go through the vocabulary below with your students and ask them to try and use this vocabaulry where possible when discussing the different conversation questions.

Useful Vocabulary

Try and use the following vocabulary when answering the question. Click to look up the definition in the dictionary

  • login (noun)
  • log in (phrasal verb)
  • log out (phrasal verb)
  • hack (verb)
  • hacker (noun)
  • susceptible (adjective)

Conversation Questions

  • How safe are your passwords?
  • How secure would you say your passwords are on a scale of one to ten, one being very weak and ten being very secure?
  • Why do you think people continue to use weak passwords?
  • How do you think hackers find out what your user details and passwords are?
  • Have you ever had an account hacked? If yes, what did you do about it?
  • What do you think is the most secure way to manage your passwords?
Gregory
This conversation topic was prepared by Gregory

Gregory is a qualified TEFL teacher who has been teaching English as a Foreign Language (ESL) for over a decade. He has taught in-person classes in Spain and to English learners around the world online.