How to Create a Strong Password?

Every time you sign up for a new platform, you are greeted with the familiar prompt to create a strong password. But what is considered a strong password, and how do you create one?

A strong password typically includes at least 12 characters, combining numbers, symbols, and both uppercase and lowercase letters. However, coming up with something like “+o*51Ydo%S6\” on the spot feels nearly impossible. And to remember it is even harder.

So, to help you out in creating and maintaining secure passwords, I’ll share 6 tips on how to create a strong password for each of your online accounts.

Table of Contents Table of Contents

1. What Makes a Password Strong?
2. How Do I Create a Strong Password? 6 Best Practices
3. Examples of Weak and Safe Passwords
4. Tips on How to Best Manage Your Passwords
5. Best Password Managers for Secure Password Storing
6. Conclusion – How to Create a Strong Password?
7. FAQs

Show Full Guide

Table of Contents

1. What Makes a Password Strong?
2. How Do I Create a Strong Password? 6 Best Practices
3. Examples of Weak and Safe Passwords
Show Full Guide
4. Tips on How to Best Manage Your Passwords
5. Best Password Managers for Secure Password Storing
6. Conclusion – How to Create a Strong Password?
7. FAQs

What Makes a Password Strong?

A strong password is one that is robust enough to ensure protection against cyber attacks. The more random the symbol sequence is, the better.

Typically, people use passwords that they can easily remember. This naturally leads to passwords that include pet names, birth dates, first school, or a favorite location’s name. While this is a very convenient way to store passwords in our heads, this could lead to consequences. Cybercriminals are always looking (and often sadly finding) data on your likes, dislikes, visited places, pets you had, or people you cherish. And that’s exactly what they use when trying to crack your password.

How Do I Create a Strong Password? 6 Best Practices

For years, internet users weren’t aware of online tracking and other threats to their personal information, reusing their pet names as passwords on multiple platforms. By understanding common password pitfalls, you will be able to keep your sensitive data safe from prying eyes. Continue to read and learn the best practices that will help you create a strong password.

1. Don’t Use Personal Information

Using personal information to create passwords is a risky practice. Hackers can easily dig out personal details like your name, birthdate, address, pet’s name, or favorite sports team. Nowadays, we willingly share this information on social media.

Cybercriminals use automated tools to test combinations of commonly used personal information. This makes passwords that consist of your personal data highly susceptible to brute-force attacks or credential stuffing. So avoid including any personal information in your passwords.

2. Make Your Passwords Long

Password length is one of the key factors that determines the reliability of a password. Longer passwords are harder for cybercriminals to crack, since each additional character increases the number of possible combinations.

However, it’s important not just to focus on password length. A long password that resembles something like “123456789…” can still be weak. According to studies, over 24% of US citizens do make this exact mistake. So for improved security, make sure that your password is made up of at least 12 varying symbols and letters.

3. Use Random Numbers, Symbols, and Letters

The strongest passwords mix uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, as well as special characters randomly, creating a unique and complex combination. Passwords with a larger variety of characters tend to be more complicated for hackers to crack. Additionally, a random sequence of complex passwords lowers the chance of reusing them, preventing cyber criminals from hacking several accounts simultaneously.

Password complexity alone isn’t enough – length and additional security layers are equally crucial. To maximize protection for your vault, I recommend enabling multi-factor authentication. This ensures that no one can access your account without completing your verification process.

4. Use An Automatic Password Generator

An automatic password generator is an online tool that helps you build strong and secure passwords. Creating complex and unique passwords can become complicated, since we naturally want to include familiar information, or reuse existing passwords to make it easier. That’s where an automatic password generator steps in, generating as many random and secure passwords as you need.

Usually found in the top password management software, either applications or websites, an automatic password generator helps you craft virtually unbreakable passwords. Using this tool, you can adjust the length of a password as well as what characters it should include.

5. Make Each Password Unique and Don’t Reuse It

A unique password is one that you’re using for only one signup and it’s one of the main criteria for a secure and private online experience. Georgetown University noted that the more a password is reused, the more opportunities there are for your data and money to be stolen. Reusing a password allows a hacker to crack several or even a dozen accounts with a single cracked password.

Therefore, make sure to use unique passwords for each of your accounts, regardless of whether you think it needs extra security or not. Losing a social media account to a cybercriminal might be disheartening, but allowing them access to your banking or health accounts poses a far greater risk.

6. Periodically Change Your Passwords

Changing your passwords regularly is crucial for several reasons. Even if you’re exclusively using strong passwords, there’s always a chance they could be compromised. Someone might’ve seen it on your screen, maybe you left your credentials on someone else’s device after borrowing it, or your device got stolen. The options are endless. Therefore, regularly updating your passwords minimizes the risk of a third party successfully gaining access to your accounts.

It also helps protect against threats like keystroke loggers, which can capture sensitive data. Additionally, updating your passwords is essential after any suspected security breach, unauthorized access to your accounts, or if your device has been infected with malware.

Examples of Weak and Safe Passwords

Choosing the right password is crucial for protecting your personal information and accounts. Weak passwords are easy to guess or crack, while strong passwords are complex, providing robust protection against cyberattacks. Here’s a comparison to help you understand the difference.

These passwords are considered weak because they use common words and patterns or personal information. Hackers can easily crack them using brute force or guesswork.

Strong passwords combine uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters in a random sequence. They avoid personal details and predictable user patterns.

Tips on How to Best Manage Your Passwords

Managing your passwords responsibly and securely is becoming more and more important. Failing to use reliable passwords might lead to an online identity or money loss. Therefore, here are a few tips for best password-managing practices:

• Install a password manager – Using a market-leading password manager like 1Password is the most efficient way to manage and secure your passwords. These services employ advanced security measures to encrypt and safeguard your logins and other stored sensitive data. Additionally, a password manager can conveniently autofill your credentials for you, eliminating the need for manual password typing.
• Use unique passwords for every account – Avoid reusing passwords across different platforms. A breach in one account could lead to hackers accessing all your accounts under the same password.
• Update your passwords regularly – Changing your passwords periodically ensures they are not cracked after multiple hacker attempts. I recommend you update your passwords every 3-6 months, especially for critical accounts, or immediately after any suspected security breach.
• Don’t write down your passwords anywhere – Quite a lot of people still find it convenient to write down passwords on a note (or now in smartphone notes). Practicing this, you’re risking exposing your credentials to prying eyes and giving them easy access to your sensitive data. Instead, use a reliable password manager.

Conclusion – How to Create a Strong Password?

Nowadays, creating strong passwords is a must. Whether for personal or business accounts, reusing weak passwords is a great threat that may lead to data leaks, money loss, or damaged devices, among other consequences.

The best way to create and manage strong passwords is to use a robust password manager. One of the top providers – 1Password – employs next-gen security features to protect your logins and includes a user-friendly password generator. With it, you can create strong passwords that don’t include personal information or common patterns and are complex enough to be a real challenge to a hacker.

FAQs