God. Love. Sex. Money. These are the four most common passwords that people use, and are therefore the easiest ones for hackers, phishers and other Internet-savvy fraudsters to figure out, allowing them access to your financial information and the possible theft of your identity.

According to the CERT/CC (Computer Emergency Response Team/Coordination Center), a federally funded organization based at Carnegie Mellon University, an estimated 80 percent of all network security problems are caused by bad passwords.

Using the Internet to access your financial accounts, pay bills electronically or view your bank statements via e-mail can be risky, particularly if you don't have up-to-date computer security systems such as firewalls. But easy-to-decipher financial passwords composed of the four most common words, birthdates or family names, just leaves an additional open door to your identity.

Never use any personal information as a password or security code, advises SecurityStats.com, a Web site that collects statistics on Internet security. That includes your name, family names, birthdates, address, telephone number, street name, car license plate number, etc. Such information is easily obtainable by fraudsters trying to guess your passwords.

Use a combination of letters, numbers and special characters. Avoid using dates (Aug2001) or simply tacking on an extra number to a common word (Password1).

Don't write your password down anywhere. Afraid you'll forget it? If you have trouble remembering complex passwords, try this advice from The Wall Street Journal. Boil down a memorable phrase or quote into a string of upper- and lowercase letters, numbers and special characters. For example, "Easy for you to say" becomes Ez4U2Say.

Change your password often, say, every month or so. Your computer may be infected with spyware programs, which track keystrokes and Internet activities on your computer. And if you've used a public computer, your password may accidentally have been saved, or someone may have watched you type it in.

To check possible passwords, visit the Password Strength Meter at SecurityStats.com. Passwords are checked for complexity and compared with hackers' guides of common passwords. If your password isn't up to snuff, you'll be given suggestions on how to improve it. Visit the site: .com/ .

Bob Carlson, creator of Bob Carlson's Retirement Watch newsletter, has created a list of situations and questions that would require you to get in contact with your estate planner to make changes. What should you be on the lookout for?

is recalling about 135,000 battery packs for some HP and Compaq laptop computers because of reports they overheated and melted, the Palo Alto, Calif., company announced recently.

Consumers should stop using the products and contact the company for a free replacement. For information, call Hewlett-Packard at 888-404-7398 or visit www.hp.com/support/ Battery Replacement or http://www. cpsc.gov.

, manufactured by Target Corp., because the sharpener's razor blade is exposed when the cover is removed and the sharpening hole is large enough for a finger, posing a cutting hazard. Target has received 17 reports of cuts involving the sharpeners. The pencil and sharpener sets were sold at Target stores nationwide from July 2005 through August 2005. For more information call Target at 800-440-0680 or visit .com or .gov .

, manufactured by International Comfort Products LLC, because the unit's control board can ignite, posing a fire hazard. The recall affects the following brands; Airquest, Arcoaire, Comfortmaker, Heil, Keeprite, Kenmore, ICP Commercial and Tempstar. The furnace and air conditioning units were sold by heating, ventilation and air conditioning dealers and contractors nationwide between October 2000 and September 2005. For more information, contact ICP at 800-649-4706 or visit .com or .gov .

containing eight tea lights, manufactured by Far East Brokers and Consultants Inc., because if all eight candles included with the unit are lit at the same time, it can generate too much heat and pose a fire hazard. The company has received three reports of fires resulting from the defect. The reports include damage to carpets and a table, other minor property damage and one second-degree burn. Grocery and discount stores nationwide sold these Halloween decorations beginning in July 2005. For more information call the company at 877-332-9006 or visit .gov .

is recalling some models of the Scion tC amid reports that a glass wind deflector, located near the moonroof, may shatter when struck by road debris.

Toyota said the wind deflector tilts up when the moonroof is opened and could shatter when struck by road debris and separate from the frame at highway speeds. In the worst case, pieces of the wind deflector could fall onto motorists inside the vehicle, causing injuries or distractions.

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