How Secure Is My Password? Strength Checklist, Tips & Tricks

Are you positively sure your password is strong enough? If you have ever wondered, ‘How long will it take to crack my password’? You might be surprised.

Smart guessing algorithms can crack 87 million passwords in under 60 seconds. These represent 45% of the 193 million real-world passwords analyzed by Kaspersky. A staggering 59% of passwords could be cracked within an hour, as the study reveals. This underscores the urgent need for strong password practices.

Engaging in online activities, from shopping to socializing, necessitates robust password security to shield against cyber threats. Embracing effective password strategies is a significant step toward enhancing your online safety.

In this article, you’ll get insights on creating potent and memorable passwords to prevent unauthorized access and protect your personal information from identity theft.

Follow the experts’ best practices so that ‘How safe is my password?’ will never be a question for you again.

Table of Contents Table of Contents

1. Key Takeaways
2. How to Create a Secure Password
3. How and Where To Check How Secure Your Password Is
4. How Weak Passwords Get Cracked?
5. Other Ways To Protect Yourself Online
6. The Bottom Line
7. FAQs
8. References

Show Full Guide

Table of Contents

1. Key Takeaways
2. How to Create a Secure Password
3. How and Where To Check How Secure Your Password Is
Show Full Guide
4. How Weak Passwords Get Cracked?
5. Other Ways To Protect Yourself Online
6. The Bottom Line
7. FAQs
8. References

How to Create a Secure Password

Make sure crafting a secure password is a top priority for safeguarding your digital life, from personal details to online accounts, against cyber threats. Our tendency to follow predictable patterns when making passwords leaves us open to hacking algorithms that exploit our limited creativity.

Enhancing digital security with password managers and multi-factor authentication significantly boosts protection. These tools are essential, promoting robust passwords and adding verification layers to effectively deter hackers.

Password Strength Checklist

To ensure you create an unbreakable password, follow this checklist:

1. Length Matters

The key to creating a robust password is its length; aim for at least 12 characters to significantly heighten security by complicating brute-force attacks with exponentially more combinations.

2. Mix It Up

Diversity and randomization within your password add another layer of complexity. Incorporate a mix of the following elements:

This mixture ensures that your password doesn’t fall into easily decipherable patterns, making it harder for humans and automated tools to guess.

3. Avoid Predictability

Avoid using predictable information like birthdays, anniversaries, or dictionary words for passwords. Attackers often exploit personal details and common terms to breach security more quickly.

4. Be Unique & Think About Three Random Words

Creating a strong password requires blending creativity with randomness. A top method is to merge three unrelated, non-personal words, adding numbers and symbols for robustness.

For instance, “CactusSunsetOcean23!” exemplifies an ideal mix of unpredictability and strength in password design.

Combining these elements – length, diversity, unpredictability, and uniqueness – creates a formidable barrier against unauthorized access to your accounts and sensitive information.

Switching Things Up: Expert Insights

Troy Hunt, an Australian security researcher and founder of the data breach notification service Have I Been Pwned, told Techopedia:

“The number one thing you can do is use a password manager because a password manager helps you create strong, unique passwords on every website. So if you were in a data breach the password that was exposed was only useful on the site that was breached. And it was a very strong password because it was a randomly generated set of letters and numbers, so your risk is isolated just to that one service.”

According to Hunt, that is the absolute number one thing, followed by using multi-factor authentication.

“Don’t just have a username and password. We’ve also got universal two-factor, security keys, such as YubiKeys, they’re a great way of solving the problem too. So anything that doesn’t just use the same password on every service is a massive step forward,” he said.

So, let’s make your password game bulletproof with some straightforward tips:

How and Where To Check How Secure Your Password Is

Is my password strong enough? This concern is common, but assessing your password’s security can be straightforward with the right tools.

A password strength tester evaluates how robust your password is, offering insights into its safety level. For those wondering about their passwords’ vulnerability to hacking attempts, utilizing a password strength checker provides an effective measure of protection by estimating the time required for a computer to decipher it.

5 Tools to Check the Security of Your Passwords

1. Have I Been Pwned

• How to Use Have I Been Pwned: Enter your password, and it will tell you if it has appeared in any data breaches.
• Why It’s Useful: This helps you avoid using compromised passwords that hackers could exploit. This tool also lets you identify whether your email address has been compromised in any data breaches, enabling you to secure your accounts promptly.

Have I Been Pwned’s founder Troy Hunt told Techopedia:

“I think [Have I Been Pwned] got popular because it’s a very simple concept. It’s just literally a search box. You put your email address in, and it comes back and tells you something interesting.

“It’s also popular because people are shocked at how far their personal information has been exposed. It also got very popular because it’s a service that targets everybody. You don’t have to be a technology person or a cybersecurity person. My parents use it; my kids use it. It’s relevant to anyone with an email address.”

2. LastPass Password Tester

• How to Use LastPass: Enter your password and get an analysis of its strength along with suggestions for improvement.
• Why It’s Useful: Besides checking strength, it gives tips on how to make your passwords stronger. LastPass is a well-known name in password security, offering a trusted tool for evaluation.

3. How Secure Is My Password

• How to Use How Secure Is My Password: Type your password into the provided field on the website. It will then assess how long it would take for a computer to crack your password.
• Why It’s Useful: This tool evaluates password strength against brute-force attacks, guiding users to select complex, secure passwords for enhanced protection against unauthorized access.

4. All Things Secured

• How to Use All Things Secured: Evaluate your password’s robustness using a tool that assesses its length, complexity, and security against breaches by inputting a modified version to ensure safety.
• Why It’s Useful: The password checker offers instant feedback on password strength, urging users to create more robust passwords.

5. NordPass

• How to Use NordPass: Utilize the password generator tool to create strong, complex passwords.
• Why It’s Useful: It checks if your passwords are easy pickings for bad actors.

Tips for Using Password Checkers

How Weak Passwords Get Cracked?

Understanding how exactly attackers compromise weak passwords can reinforce why robust ones are essential:

1. Brute Force Attacks: Hackers use software that tries every possible combination until finding the right one.
2. Dictionary Attacks: This method involves trying combinations from predefined lists containing commonly used phrases or words rather than acting like a random password guesser.
3. Phishing Scams: Sometimes hackers don’t need sophisticated methods – they trick individuals into giving away their credentials directly through deceptive emails or messages.

Other Ways To Protect Yourself Online

While having solid passwords forms base-level protection, other strategies further enhance your cybersecurity posture:

VPNs

Virtual private networks (VPNs) encrypt internet connections, making activities invisible even when using public Wi-Fi networks and shielding sensitive data effectively.

Password Managers

Password managers simplify digital security by securely storing and managing all your passwords in one place. These tools keep your login details safe and promote strong, hard-to-crack passwords, effectively removing the hassle of remembering complex passwords for different accounts. Essentially, they act as your personal digital vaults, enhancing online security with minimal effort.

Identity Theft Protection Services

Identity Theft Protection Services monitor personal data across databases, alerting users to potential misuse and aiding in identity theft recovery. They track credit reports, public records, and online activities for signs of fraud, providing credit monitoring, suspicious activity alerts, and financial recovery assistance.

Anti-Virus Software

Anti-virus and malware removal programs safeguard computers and networks by identifying, blocking, and eliminating various threats like viruses, worms, and ransomware. They utilize signature-based scanning and behavior analysis to detect malicious activities, ensuring systems remain protected from infections.

The Bottom Line

Making strong passwords isn’t rocket science or some secret skill – it’s really just using good old common sense when you get right down to it. Remember that the strength of your password makes a big difference in how secure you are online.

Troy Hunt said:

“The most common misconception is thinking that you’re not a target because you’re too small or you’re just a normal, everyday person. Everyone is a target if you’re online. We all have different levels of risk and different levels of impact; however, every single person is a target just by virtue of being online.”

By sticking to a simple guide for making tough passwords and taking advantage of tools like password managers and strength testers, you’re on your way to better protecting yourself digitally. Understanding how strong your password is can empower you to take control of your online security.

But don’t stop there! Alongside personal steps such as creating stronger passwords, wider security measures are key players in ensuring your digital life remains protected from cyber threats.

FAQs