Passwords – Longer is better

Standard

The choice of passwords is often a source of plenty of deliberation. Make it too simple and you will get hacked (check your password for safety here: https://howsecureismypassword.net/) make it too complicated and you cannot remember it and have to write it down.

There are some basic NO NO rules:

  1. NEVER write your passwords down
  2. NEVER use the same password for different things
  3. NEVER simply use your name or date of birth or any other easy to guess passwords (https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2010/12/15/the-top-50-passwords-you-should-never-use/)

When you follow these 3 simple rules you are starting to get into the safer zone for online security.

So how do you get a secure AND easy to remember password? 

Here are some ways to do this:

  • You pick a sentense you can remember (Just make sure it is not a simple phrase or a phrase taken from existing literature, because that would make it insecure again.) and only use the first 2 characters of each word:

    The chicken is riding on the roof of the bus = Thchisrionthroofthbu

You could also replace o with 0 (zero), e with 3, b with 8 or & and i with 1
Thch1sr10nthr00fth8u

and this looks like a very secure password. And when you add some special characters !@#$%^&*()_-+= you are getting really save.

cugobuco90
xocivazu85
tudovike47
Xepnym82
etc

  • Password card (http://www.passwordcard.org/en) is a card with random passwords. You can use the passwords on it in any combination. Forwards, backwards, diagonally, every second character, start 3 characters in on the 5th row then diagonally up and right or any other way you can think up and remember.

This way you don’t need to remember your passwords. You just need to remember which way your password is written on the card and it is secure because nobody knows how you are using that card, as long as you NOT simply use them line by line as they are printed on the card. That would be too easy and the only danger with this method. SO AVOID IT.

  • Password manager. I personally use and recommend https://www.lastpass.com/ . I generate passwords very long and randomly with Lastpass and then safe them in there to be kept save with only the one master password I need to remember to access the password manager.

All these are good ways to make you safer online. Good luck.