Eventually, many years henceforth, our digital identity will be protected by three-factor authentication - a knowledge factor ("something the user knows", e.g. password), a possession factor ("something the user has", e.g. a mobile phone), and an inherence factor ("something the user is", e.g. fingerprint) - but until then you need to survive the extreme vulnerability of passwords.

Mat Honan, from the Wired web-site, who lost his digital life when his ID was hacked and destroyed including family photos just everything, developed the following list of what to do 'To survive the password apocalypse':

DON’T

• Reuse passwords. If you do, a hacker who gets just one of your accounts will own them all.
• Use a dictionary word as your password. If you must, then string several together into a pass phrase.
• Use standard number substitutions. Think "P455w0rd" is a good password? N0p3! Cracking tools now have those built in.
• Use a short password—no matter how weird. Today's processing speeds mean that even passwords like "h6!r$q" are quickly crackable. Your best defense is the longest possible password.

DO

• Enable two-factor authentication when offered. When you log in from a strange location, a system like this will send you a text message with a code to confirm. Yes, that can be cracked, but it's better than nothing.
• Give bogus answers to security questions. Think of them as a secondary password. Just keep your answers memorable. My first car? Why, it was a "Camper Van Beethoven Freaking Rules."
• Scrub your online presence. One of the easiest ways to hack into an account is through your email and billing address information. Sites like Spokeo and WhitePages.com offer opt-out mechanisms to get your information removed from their databases.
• Use a unique, secure email address for password recoveries. If a hacker knows where your password reset goes, that's a line of attack. So create a special account you never use for communications. And make sure to choose a username that isn't tied to your name—like m****n@wired.com—so it can't be easily guessed.

Source & Copyright©2013 -  Mat Honan, Wired

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Sound advice from a man who lost everything.