How to create a secure password and not forget it? 6 effective methods you need to know

Have you ever wondered how secure your password is? Internet users very often forget about basic security and, as a result, fall prey to cybercriminals. Their e-mails get hacked and all their savings disappear irretrievably from their bank accounts. Don’t want to be the next one? Learn how to create a secure password that will protect your online data.

The most popular passwords

Passwords are the primary, often the only, method of securing identity and personal information on the Internet. Unfortunately, with today’s technological advances, you don’t have to be a hacker or IT specialist to crack them. What’s more, Internet users themselves are making the task easier for cybercriminals, and instead of thinking about security, they are prioritizing convenience.

According to research published by NordPass, the most frequently chosen passwords in 2021 are repeated up to several hundred thousand times. It takes less than 1 second to crack them. We are talking about access codes such as:

strings of numbers – 123456, 123456789, 12345, 1234, 111111,
adjacent letters on the keyboard – qwerty, zaq12wsx, 1223qwe, zxcvbnm,
names – michael, charlie, jessica, jordan, daniel, thomas,
random words – monkey, bear, dragon, samsung, love, ass.

A secure password, meaning what kind?

Each of us is repeatedly faced with the so-called password dilemma, that is, we are faced with a choice between weak but easy to remember security and a complex combination of characters with an equally high level of difficulty to crack and remember. At least that’s what we think, because as it turns out – effectiveness does not exclude affordability.

Factors determining the strength of a password:
Length
– recommended is a minimum of 8 characters,
Complexity – digits, special characters, lowercase and uppercase letters,
Originality of the combination of letters, digits, characters and lack of association with the user.

Methods for creating a secure password

The ideal password is long enough, easy to remember and simple to type. It cannot be cracked by the dictionary method. Only you know it, and those around you, despite their knowledge of you, cannot guess it. How to create such?

3 random words

200,000 words – that’s how many you’ll find in a spelling dictionary, yet you don’t have to limit yourself to just the English language. The method of three random words is to choose several unrelated names, for example: cat in a suit paints the roof, blueflyplaysonukulele.

Neologism

Those 200,000 words aren’t enough for you? Then create your own, for example, bellignorance, unetripting. Just type it into the search engine in quotation marks. If the phrase is not found, then enrich it with special characters and bravo – your password is safe.

Acronym

Turn your favorite quote or random phrase into an acronym, then add special characters and numbers to it, for example:

pizza tastes best with pineapple + the number of your favorite restaurant – ptbwp146,
to be or not to be + the year of Shakespeare’s death – tbontb1616
every day he parks his car on Sesame 17 – edhphcos17

Keyboard cipher

Choose any phrase, but write it in cipher: jump one space left or right on the keyboard. The word “dog” will be hidden in the string of letters “sif”, and the phrase “my mother works at the cinema” is “nt nirgwe qieja lr rgw xubwnl”. This way you can continue to use your trivial password without worrying about the security of your account.

Mathematical formula

Are you an exact mind? Make your password logical. Create your own formula or use a mathematical operation. This method gives you a rich combination of letters, special characters and numbers:

two+3=five5
Christmas tree+3presents=Christmas.
plutodog+@=addressemail

Random password generator

On the Internet you will find many free sites that create strong random passwords based on certain criteria. The downside of automatically generated security is the difficulty of remembering it.

Rules for creating and using secure passwords

  1. Never repeat a login name or part of it in a password. Don’t use take names of family members, names of your pets, date of birth, phone number, more than 3 consecutive letters/digits on your keyboard or popular names (Harry Potter, Mercedes).
  2. If you’re logging in on a company computer, don’t use the names of items you have on your desk (pen, mouse, calendar) as security, let alone keep it written down anywhere (such as underneath your keyboard).
  3. If possible, log in with a different password on each site, and at least on low-value sites (forums, one-time registrations) don’t enter the code you use to protect valuable information elsewhere.
  4. Enable two-step verification. Don’t save the data in your browser’s memory or send it by text message or email. If you want to store them somewhere, use a dedicated password manager.
  5. Change passwords every 90 days at the latest.

Secure password – FAQ

Learn the answers to the most frequently asked questions!

How to create a secure password?

To create a secure password, come up with a unique combination of letters, numbers and special characters that is as long as possible. It must meet the conditions of registration and must not be associated with your person in any way. So avoid sensitive data, such as your phone number, date of birth or the name of your beloved dog.

How to remember a secure password?

If you want an easy way to remember a password, then do not use online generators, but come up with one yourself based on a phrase, association or favorite quote.

What does a secure password consist of?

A secure password is made up of numbers, special characters, uppercase and lowercase letters, which together form a complex combination.

Can you use an identical password everywhere?

You can use an identical password on every page, but this is not a secure solution. If someone hacks one of your accounts, they will gain access to the others.

Can passwords contain spaces?

The specific requirements for passwords are set individually by the web portal. Sometimes they can contain spaces, but not always. As a rule, this option is not present on sites with outdated security models.

Do cookies store passwords?

Cookies collect information about your visit to a website. They facilitate login (they maintain a session without requiring re-authentication), but do not collect passwords. Similarly, it is impossible to obtain login data from them – they are fully secure in this regard. You can also clear cookies without deleting passwords from memory.

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