Your password is the thin line between your personal, financial, and professional information and hackers. Weak passwords cause innumerable data breaches, one of the simplest problems to resolve.
Let’s begin by explaining why you should have strong passwords and how to generate them. The greatest challenge is the human brain: It isn’t built for remembering solid passwords—much less unique ones for each of the many services you use.
Fortunately, computers excel at password management. The most convenient way to create and remember strong passwords is to delegate this task to a reliable password manager. They relieve you from the burden of memorizing complex strings of characters, giving you a sense of relief and freedom.
How to create and remember strong passwords for enhanced security
Before we discuss password managers, it’s crucial to grasp the underlying principles of password security. This understanding will empower you to take control of your online security.
There are some principles to understand when making password security recommendations.
What makes a strong password?
High-entropy passwords are strong. In this case, entropy measures how unpredictable your password might be. The following are the key factors that go into password entropy:
Length: It should be at least 12 to 15 characters long. The longer it is, in general, the better.
Complexity: A password must contain letters, both capital and small, small numbers, and symbols all mixed.
Predictability should be avoided: Avoid guessing and using passwords like “123456”, “password,” and “qwerty.”
Do not use personal information such as birthdays, pets’ names, or anniversaries.
Uniqueness: Each account needs a different password. Sharing a single password among services means that when one service is compromised, the hackers gain access to all the remaining services protected using the same password.
Mnemonic Devices
Using mnemonic devices, which are memory aids that help you remember complex information, can be a great way to remember your passwords. They can be phrases, songs, or stories you can easily recall when needed.
Unfortunately, while passwords like h9!fdjhGH68%J@ are safe, they’re not easy (for humans) to remember. One way to deal with this is to think of something like a phrase or sentence you easily remember. For example: “My first pet was a cat in 2009!”.
You can turn phrases into passwords by using the first letter of each word and mixing in numbers and symbols. For example, the password could be “Mfpwaci2009!”
Finally, create a mnemonic device using fiber internet service by relating your password to a mental image that will help you remember it. For example, one could picture their first car, and the year they got it to help them remember a password.
Generate random passphrase
A more practical alternative, however, is a string of memorable random words, such as “Blue Box Under The Table” (keeping the spaces between the words since those add complexity).
Once you have generated a sufficiently complex password, you can use mnemonic devices to remember it. These include:
- Repetition: If you repeatedly type your new password when setting up an account, you will likely commit it to memory.
- Visualize: Think of a story or picture with your password’s parts. For “Blue Blue Box Under The Table,” you might picture a blue box under the table.
- Practice: Log in to the website occasionally instead of letting the browser autofill. It’s like exercising your memory by repetition.
Now, you should be able to construct a strong password to remember. However, you need another strong password for each service you use. This is all but possible for humans who use tools in practice.
Password managers remember unlimited secure passwords—or passphrases—for you. Most are cross-platform, so accessing them from anywhere is hassle-free on any device.
With a password manager using cable internet service, you only need to think of one general master password to remember all other passwords. Since you only have to remember one, you should be able to make a strong one using the above mentioned approaches.
Web, Android, iPhone, and iPad apps have a unique set of features :
- Autofill is for easy sign-in to websites and mobile apps. It stores your usernames, passwords, end-to-end encrypted notes, and credit card information.
- Built-in two-factor authentication: Apps that can autofill 2FA codes, making it easy to lock down your online accounts.
- When signing up for online services, hide email aliases to protect your identity and quickly turn off annoying emails from them.
- Safe sharing of passwords. This will help you manage and share your logins, credit cards, and notes with your family and friends.
Why should you use strong passwords?
The need for strong passwords should be evident to everyone. Still, the daily reports of catastrophic data breaches suggest that only some are taking steps to improve their account security.
A strong password protects your information from being used against you in crimes of identity theft or fraud. It also blocks unauthorized access to personal and financial information, providing a strong sense of security, including credit card numbers, bank account information, transaction history, and so forth, during online banking, shopping, or any type of financial transaction.
Strong passwords protect sensitive company information, from clients’ data and proprietary research to internal communications.
Hackers mainly use brute force attacks (password cracking), whereby software generates many guesses of passwords. Strong, complex passwords are hard to guess by any program before security measures lock the account. Furthermore, they prevent dictionary attacks, which cycle through a database of common words and phrases in hopes of hitting upon the passwords.
Many people use the same password across multiple accounts. What happens if someone guesses or hacks into one of your accounts? With a strong and unique password on each account, that person only gets access to one of your accounts.
Conclusion
Strong passwords form the bedrock of cyber security. They are the first line of defense against intrusion, which can allow a stranger to access your personal, financial, and professional information.
Since cyber threats rapidly increase in refinements, having unique and strong passwords across accounts has become relevant.
Of course, you can have strong passwords everywhere for all your web services only when using a safe password manager. That’s how you secure your whole digital life.
Adhering to the principles of uniqueness, regular updates, and complexity can protect personal and professional data from unwanted access. In today’s increased cyber threats, it is impossible to overestimate the significance of a strong password. Let’s continue to be watchful and proactive in protecting our data, ensuring that people we connect with online are in a secure digital environment.
