Spring is finally here and there’s no better way to start the season than with a full clean. But does your Spring cleaning include your digital environment? Here are five easy updates you can do today.
1. Do A Passkey Audit
Passkeys have been rolling out since 2022. PayPal first, then Google, Amazon, Microsoft and GitHub, but adoption has finally reached a point where checking your own accounts is worth the five minutes. If a site offers you one, take it.
The reason it’s worth considering using a passkey is because a passkey is bound to the real site’s domain, so it won’t offer itself up on a lookalike site the way a password does. That closes off the classic phishing attempt using the fake login page that tries to fool you into thinking it’s legitimate. This is still not a total invulnerability. The support still varies by device and browser and a password is often still the fallback until you remove it. Start with your email to get the feel of how it works and then continue covering all your most important accounts.
2. Stop Resetting Your Passwords Every 90 Days
This one should bring joy to your ears. NIST first said this back in 2017: Don’t force people to change passwords on a schedule, because it makes security worse, not better. This is very true. Constant forced password changes push people toward weaker, more predictable passwords which is usually a small tweak to the existing password. An example is if your password is cucumber2026, the new tweak could be something like cucumber2026! Not great.
NIST’s 2025 guidance turned that advice into a flat rule instead of a suggestion. The updated advice is to use a long, unique password per account, changed only if you think there’s a reason it may be compromised. Length beats complexity now, so a longer passphrase beats a shorter password. This can make it slightly more complicated to remember so consider using a password manager – it does the remembering for you.
3. Stop Using SMS As Your Backup Code
If your two-factor authentication sends you a code by SMS, that is the weakest version of MFA you can have and it shouldn’t be your default. Wherever it’s available, switch to an authenticator app instead. Many providers offer authenticator apps as an option and it’s worth doing, even if you just start with your most important accounts. It will take a few minutes for each account, but the extra security feels great.
4. Check Yourself Against A Breach Database
Breaches occur so frequently these days that it’s worth checking your account status ever so often. Head to haveibeenpwned, type in your email address, and see what comes back. It now indexes more than 12 billion leaked records pulled from breaches across the internet, so there’s a decent chance something of yours shows up somewhere. Please don’t panic if you do see something. Use it as guidance for where you need to change you need to change your password first.
5. Log Into Your Router
People generally forget about their router but it’s really important. As part of your Spring cleaning mission, log on now. If you’re still using the default username and password, update that first. While you’re there, check for updates from the manufacturer and get those done too. If you stopped receiving updates, it may be a good time to consider upgrading your router.
Spring Clean 2026 Done
That’s the list. Five things to help you with your digital Spring clean today, most of them faster than making a cup of coffee, and one of them making things easier than before.
If there are kids in your house doing this with you, Cyberlingz turns the same habits intro a browser game instead of a lecture. No chat, no strangers, just a city that needs your help. Try Mission 01 today and see for yourself.
Be secure!
