A Russian crime ring has amassed some 1.2 billion username and password combinations. Here are 7 ways to protect yourself online

◼ 7 ways to create better, stronger passwords - Washington Examiner

...Never reuse passwords on other accounts — with two exceptions. Over the years, I've managed to create hundreds of accounts. Many are for one-time use, such as when a newspaper website requires me to register to read the full story. It's OK to use simple passwords and repeat them in those types of situations, as long as the password isn't unlocking features that involve credit cards or posting on a message board. That will let you focus on keeping passwords to the more essential accounts strong.

The other exception is to log in using a centralized sign-on service such as Facebook Connect. Hulu, for instance, gives you the option of using your Facebook username and password instead of creating a separate one for the video site. This technically isn't reusing your password, but a matter of Hulu borrowing the log-in system Facebook already has in place. The account information isn't stored with Hulu. Facebook merely tells Hulu's computers that it's you. Of course, if you do this, it's even more important to keep your Facebook password secure....

◼ Clark Howard's 3 tips to stop Russian hackers from stealing your identity - Cain TV

1. Freeze your credit.
2. More and more banks, brokerage houses and mutual fund companies now offer something called Two Factor Authentification
3. If you have lots of different user names and passwords for lots of different site, DashLane serves as an online wallet for all this information and also makes it possible for you to add one-time-only additional passwords as another barrier to access.