From the Editor

For years my password strategy was a hacker’s dream. Every time a site asked me to update my password, I simply added another number to the name of my first teacher. I thought I’d be fine, unless someone in Mrs Boyle’s class, nearly 40 years ago, had grown up to be a hacker.

Over time I strengthened my passwords, adding upper-case letters and obscure punctuation from keyboard buttons I otherwise barely bothered with. These days I use a password manager, but often feel that I’m making mistakes that hackers will exploit. Many readers have told me the same. So this issue’s Cover Feature tells you all you need to know about guaranteeing maximum password safety.

Last year we invited readers to try a Wi-fiboosting powerline kit from devolo in their home. I’m delighted to say that we’ve teamed up with the company again to let six readers test its new Gigagate Wi-fi Bridge, which boosts your router’s signal, delivering speeds up to 2Gbps. Turn to page 27 for details.