Creating a strong password
Here you will find all information to build a strong password to protect your account.
Woman Security

Creating a strong password is extremely important in order to protect you and your surroundings. A password should therefore be sufficiently complex and not easily estimatable. But at the same time, it should be chosen in a way that you can remember it without too much effort.

The strength of a password increases by the number of characters that are used, the randomness of letters chosen and its complexity.

 

Here are some tips to set a strong password:

DOs DON’Ts
  • Use a long password.
  • To increase complexity, use a mixture of: Upper case, Lower case, Numbers and Special characters 
  • Select your password unrelated with your information that it is not easily accessible on your social media.
  • Change your password regularly and use antivirus programs in your computer.
  • Select different passwords for different login areas. Otherwise, if one of the accounts is attacked, it means that others are also under risk
  • Select a password that you can also remember.Choose random characters in your password.
  • Select a short password.
  • Use only one type of specific characters (for example: only letters).
  • Use any guessable personal information (for example: your full name, the name of your son, your birthday, the name of your pet, the date of your anniversary, etc.).
  • Never changing your standard password.
  • Give your password to anyone.
  • Use the same password repeatedly for different login areas. Use parts or even complete email account or username as your password.
  • Write your password on a paper or store it in a file on your computer.
  • Use a dictionary word or combinations of words as a part of your password.
  • Use easy going passwords which can be guessed easily (for example: password, password1234, etc).
  • Use keyboard sequences (for example: asdf, qwert etc).
  • Use sequential letters/ numbers (for example: abcdef, 123456 etc).
  • Use repetitions (for example: 15151515 etc).

By aligning these tips, while creating a password, you can build up your own structure and strategy.  One way to do is to think about a phrase that is not related with your personal information, including multiple characters. Then, you can customize that sentence by determining your own rules (for example, taking first letters of each word, changing specific characters with specific numbers like “l” becoming “1”, changing specific words with a specific special character like “at” becoming “@”, creating your own shortcuts in characters, etc.).

For example:

I first went to Disneyland when I was 4 years old will become I1stw2DlwIw4yrs@
My friend Matt ate six doughnuts at the bakery cafe will become MfMa6d@tbc
“One for all and all for one": The Three Musketeers will become 14A&A413Mu$

Which other threats should you consider when it comes to password security?

Main interactive

Even if your password is very strong and follows all of the mentioned recommendation, there are still several risks which you should consider when creating or logging into your accounts:

  • Attackers can use software programs to estimate your password with trying several thousands of possible combinations until finding the correct one. Therefore, not using combination of dictionary words, easily guessable characters or personal information is important to make it difficult to estimate passwords quickly.
  • Attackers may also follow your actions on a certain website, e.g. they can watch you out while entering your password. Therefore it is recommended to be careful especially when using a computer that you do not trust too much.
  • Another possibility how attackers can break your password is by sending you emails asking e.g. for your login information of your bank accounts. You may also receive an email requiring you to open a strange attachment. By clicking on a link, you may also be re-directed to a fake website which is designed similarly to the original one. There you are asked to enter your password.

If you want to secure your private information from others you should therefore always combine a strong password with avoiding the upper mentioned threats if possible.

Why do you need a password at all?

Man Security

A password is a set of characters that is used to authorize you to access your account.  It aims to protect you and your data, e.g. such as your ID, personal photos, address, financial statements, credit cards, investments, etc.  In order to keep your data secure and avoid undesirable outcomes, well-chosen passwords are the key to security.