How Strong are your Passwords?

Written by Linzi Cooper

Thursday, 13 May 2010 11:01

With so many passwords, passcodes, usernames, pin numbers to remember, how on earth do we manage them and ensure not only do we remember them all without writing them down, but also that they are secure?

I would imagine that most people still create passwords out of personal information such as birthdates, anniversary dates or some probably still use the word 'password' or 'pa33w0rd' or 'Pa55wOrd' for example!

So, how do you go about choosing your passwords and checking that they are strong enough to keep you and your data secure?

The longer the better - at least 12 characters or more;

Use a variety of characters - don't repeat the same character several times;

Use characters that you may not use that often - there are lots to choose from on your keyboard - some you've probably never used before!

Change your passwords regularly.

How to Remember your Passwords:

One method would be to start with a meaningful and easy to remember sentence. For example:

"To Be Or Not To Be, That Is The Question" - this could be meaningful to you because you love Shakespeare! Next, take each letter of each word, "TBONTBTITQ". Then you can decide on a method to apply to create all your passwords, for example;

Add a keyboard character at the beginning and end of the password - ?TBONTBTITQ£

Add 2 meaningful numbers after the 2nd letter - ?TB95ONTBTITQ£

Make every 3rd letter a lower case letter - ?TB95oNTbTItQ£

Okay, so I now have my complex looking password...............now for the test. There are numerous sites online to test the strength of a password and I'm going to check out mine now whilst I'm writing this. And the result??? I got 3 bars out of 4 for strength, so it could be stronger. Lets see if I can add something else:

Add another meaningful number before the last 2 letters -
?TB95oNTbTI81tQ£

Okay, still strong, but could be stronger according to the online password checker! It appears that if I add 5 more characters, then it will be Super Strong!!

So, basically, if you come up with a method to apply to a meaningful sentence, you can create some really strong passwords. Obviously, it's not just sentences you could use, it could be anything memorable and meaningful to you which you will allow you to come up with lots of possibilities!

Now that you've got your super-strong passwords, here are some tips for keeping them safe:

Never ever give out your password to anyone else or respond to an email request

Never record your passwords on your computer, your mobile phone or jot them down in a notebook which is easily available to anyone - if you must write them down, be sure to keep them in the most secure place possible, such as a lockable safe

Always use different passwords - never use the same one more than once

Never use passwords on computers that you have no control over - for example in internet cafes, hotel lounges, conferences etc as cyber criminals could get access to your passwords via keystrock logging devices

I'm going to review all my passwords now to check their strength and change any weaklings into Extra Super Strong With Added Punch passwords!!

Stay Safe and Secure!

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