Our data/personal information is precious and we never want to lose or leak it at any cost. This is the reason we need passwords. But, what if your password is not strong enough? What if it gets hacked easily? That’s terrifying, right?
In this post, we will go over all the tips and tricks for creating a strong password. Read on!
Essential Points of Generating A Strong Password
People usually create a password that is easy and can never be forgotten, such as names, birthdays, sequential numbers, or any simple phrase. If you are thinking these are strong passwords, you are totally wrong.
However, creating strength doesn’t mean just closing your eyes and typing anything. They should be easy to remember, only by you.
For example, you are thinking of creating a password “I HAVE TWO DOGS”. Instead of this, you can create “iH@av1+1DoG$”. That’s hard for others, but easy for you.
Let me give you a quick list of mandatory points when creating a strong password:
- Use a combination of uppercase letters, lower case letters, numeric keys, and symbols.
- Never create common passwords (names, date of birth, counting)
- Avoid using shorter passwords
- Give birth to your own words
- Do not reuse old passwords
- Use authentic password generators
What is a Strong Password?
A strong password is one that is difficult for another human or software to guess. A password that is simple to guess is a cybersecurity issue since the objective of a password is to guarantee that only authorized users may access information.
Let’s check out some of the key elements of a strong password:
Longer Passwords Are Stronger Passwords
Short passwords are easy to guess, just as short words are easy to pronounce. For this reason, create a password that has at least 12 characters.
A Strong Password is Not Obvious
What does it mean by an obvious password? It is something that is understood. The most commonly used obvious passwords are “123456789” or “Password” or even their phone numbers. This should not be the case.
Always create a password that’s not obvious. It should be really difficult, such as “PeaNutCh@irInTheOV3N”
Strong passwords Don’t Have Sequential Keyboard Paths
A stronger password never has memorable or sequential keyboard paths such as “qwerty” or “asdfghjkl”. Hackers can easily guess these passwords”
Good Passwords Don’t Belong to Personals
Your password should not be something personal. A stronger password is not your nickname or crush name or pet name. Don’t create a passcode of something special in your life.
Create Unique Passwords
A unique password doesn’t mean having some out-of-the-world words, it means having a separate password for each of your accounts.
So, if the hackers crack your one account’s passwords, they’ll not be able to open up all your accounts.
Forget Old Passwords
If you are changing your password, forget about any password you used before. This factor is really important if you have been hacked in the past. No matter how old the password is, just don’t re-use it.
Tips for Generating a Good Password
Use Password Generators
Now, you don’t have to pressurize your brain to create a password. Some of the password generators are really going cool these days, they generate the most authentic and unique passwords.
If you are searching for one, you can use Giga Calculator to wind up your strong password hunt. It will generate some cool passwords.
Use a Passphrase
Don’t know about passphrases? It simply means to use code wording for a sentence.
For example, “I love to eat apple pies daily” – You can give code to each word like “aaee” for “I”, and “L0\/3” for “love”. So the password can be “aaeeL0\/3T0E@t”AP”DaiLY”.
Luckily, the passphrase technique not only gives you a memorable password but also increases the security of your passwords.
Play Dictionary Jumble
If you know about shuffling, you can do this. For this, open a dictionary, choose randomly 2 to 3 words and jumble them with a touch of numbers and symbols.
Like, if you get sand, bumper, and gorilla, make a password “SanD44BumP3r909Gorill@”
Use Quotes and Phrases
If some quote or phrase is really near your heart, you can use this trick. Simply choose a memorable sentence and replace parts of the letters with numbers and symbols.
For instance, “A friend in need is a friend indeed” – “A”F”44inN33DiSa”F”inD33D0900”
Use Emoticons
Don’t think emotions are only for chats, they are really useful while creating passwords. You can use any emoticons in between your passwords.
Customize Passwords As Per Account
You really don’t need to create an entirely different password for each account, you can customise it. How? Check some examples;
Ebay – H@Rl3y#Ebay**!
Gmail – H@Rl3y#GMa!L**!
Netflix – H@Rl3y#NetFl!X**!
Practice your Password
Once you have set your password, type it again and again. This is the best way to memorize your password and you can speedily enter it in front of anyone.
How to Keep Your Passwords Safe?
Get Help With a Good Password Manager
Make use of the password management tool offered by the IT/support staff. This is where you should save your professional and personal passwords. Passwords should not be saved in a file on your computer or phone.
Two-Factor Authentication
With two-factor authentication, you can add an extra layer of protection. Anyone attempting to access your account will be required to input an additional piece of info after entering the correct password. This is normally a one-time code that is emailed to you.
Don’t Let Your Email Leaked
Check if your email is leaked. There is much software through which you can check it out. However, if you smell something fishy, create a new one.
Never Share Your Passwords
Never ever share your passwords. I repeat, never ever, no matter if someone is offering you jackpots. JUST DON’T DO IT.
You might get some messages or calls, they may ask you for your codes. Just deny it. It’s a big trap. Not even speak your passwords on calls.
If you really have to give your password to someone for some important reason, meet in person and ask him to memorize it.
Final Verdict
A strong password gives you strong confidence. Weaker passwords dramatically expand the number of persons that may hack your credentials. Above everything, be alarmed and careful.
Do not put your faith in emails offering to change your password. If you have any doubts about a push notification or a chat message, delete it.
Remember to follow those above guidelines every time you establish a password to keep your online data/personal information safe and secure.
