Password is the lock we use to protect our accounts online. Unique and strong passwords are required to keep our online accounts safe from hackers and crackers. Clifford Stoll said, “Treat your password like your toothbrush. Don’t let anybody else use it, and get a new one every six months”.
Here are some tips to avoid when creating password(s) online:
- Use different password on each site
- Never write your password(s) down anywhere
- Keep it confidential
- Don’t use password same as username or part of the username
- Avoid common password such as 1234, qwerty, dictionary word, phone number, kids name, pets name, plate number and etc. are not strong passwords.
Don’t miss: See Value of Password Behind Astericks
How to Build a Unique, Secure and Memorable Password
Building a memorable and secure password for each account you create on a website is easy, all you got to do is to create your strong password formula, with this formula, you will be able to create a unique, strong and memorable password for each account.
For instance, if I want to create a memorable password for my Facebook, Twitter and Gmail account, what I will just do is to pick the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th letter of the website I want to create account with and then add some characters before and after it. In the case of Facebook, Twitter & Gmail, I will create my password for each account as @%Uacebo#50K, @%Uwitte#50K & @%Umail#50K respectively. What I just need to remember is the characters that begin and end the passwords i.e. @%U and #50K. Once am able to memorize this, each account I create online will have a unique, memorable and easy password.
You just need to formulate a formula like I did in the example above to create a memorable, unique and secure password for each website you create an account with online.
After creating your password, you can check how long it will take an average PC to crack your password by visiting How Secure is My Password? When I checked “@%Uacebo#50K” I was made to understand that it will take an average PC 344 Thousand Years to crack my password and I know the hacker won’t live as long as that lolz.
