Create a Strong Password That Is Easy to Remember
We live in a password-driven world, where between four and 20 characters are the difference makers in whether you're able to access your data, communicate with friends, or make your online purchases. The problem is that passwords should be different everywhere you use them, and that can make it difficult to remember them all. And, if a password is truly strong, that makes it even more difficult. That's why we've put together this helpful password guide. Follow these tips and tricks to take total control of your terms for access.
Common Problems with Passwords Use Different Passwords Everywhere
Why would you do this when it's so easy to just type "fido" at every password prompt? Here's why: If "fido" gets cracked once, it means the person with that info now has access to all of your online accounts. A study by BitDefender showed that 75 percent of people use their e-mail password for Facebook, as well. If that's also your Amazon or PayPal password and it's discovered, say good-bye to some funds, if not friends.
Remember the Underwear Meme
The saying goes like this: Passwords are like underwear. You should change them often (okay, maybe not every day). Don't share them. Don't leave them out for others to see (no sticky notes!). Oh, and they should be sexy. Wait, sorry, I mean they should be mysterious. In other words, make your password a total mystery to others. You can make your password sexy if you really want, however. I won't judge.
Avoid Common Passwords
If the word you use can be found in the dictionary, it's not a strong password. If you use numbers or letters in the order they appear on the keyboard ("1234" or "qwerty"), it's not a strong password. If it's the name of your relatives, your kids, or your pet, favorite team, or city of your birth, guess what—it's not a strong password. If it's your birthday, anniversary, date of graduation, even your car license plate number, it's not a strong password. It doesn't matter if you follow this with another number. These are all things hackers would try first. They write programs to check these kinds of passwords first, in fact. Other terms to avoid: "god," "money," "love," "monkey," "letmein," and for the love of all that's techie, if you use "password" as your password, just sign off the Internet right now.
How to Build a Strong Password
To create a strong password, you should use a string of text that mixes numbers, letters that are both lowercase and uppercase, and special characters. It should be eight characters, preferably many more. A lot more. The characters should be random, and not follow from words, alphabetically, or from your keyboard layout. So how do you make such a password?
1) Spell a word backwards. (Example: Turn "New York" into "kroywen.")
2) Use l33t speak: Substitute numbers for certain letters. (Example: Turn "kroywen" into "kr0yw3n.")
3) Randomly throw in some capital letters. (Example: Turn "kr0yw3n" into "Kr0yw3n.")
4) Don't forget the special character. (Example: Turn "Kr0yw3n" into "Kr0yw3^.") You don't have to go for the obvious and use "0" for "o," or "@" for "a," or "3" for "e," either. As long as your replacement makes sense to you, that's all that matters. A "^" for an "n" makes sense to me.
Conclusion in Just 10 Lines :-
Here are 10 tips to help you create effective passwords –
- Use a number and / or punctuation
- Change your password every 3 months or so
- Use different passwords for different sites
- Always use at least 8 characters
- Mix upper and lower case letters
- Use a phrase with no spaces (don’t use proper spelling, i.e. ‘dictionary words’ though)
- Use multiple words strung together separated by punctuation
- Never use personal information (such as your name, someone you know, etc)
- Never use common single words (for example, cat, blue, etc)
- Never share your passwords with anyone
Other Tips
Choose something simple to remember as a password, but whenever you type it, put your fingers on the wrong keys—maybe one key to the left or right. Then a password like "kroywen" becomes "jeitqwb" or "ltpuerm." This is only going to work for non-perfectionist touch-typists. And skip this tip if you type passwords on your phone; you'll only sprain a thumb trying to be inaccurate instead of letting the inaccuracy flow naturally.
Another option is to pick a pattern on the keyboard and type based on that. For example, a counter-clockwise spin around the letter d could result in "rewsxcvf." Throw in some random caps and numbers to really lock it down.
Perhaps the easiest thing to remember is an acronym from a phrase of your choice. "We didn't start the fire, it was always burning" becomes "wdstfiwab" based on the first letters of each word. Remember, the longer the password, the stronger it is. Always. Something more than 15 characters is very difficult to remember, but it'll be a breeze with a mnemonic.