Did you know that, historically, one of the most commonly used passwords is “password”? I want to say that this is no longer the case, but truth be told, millions are still opting for easy-to-guess passwords like “123456” or “qwerty”.
Sure, on a larger scale, people on the Internet have become wiser, and have started using relatively strong passwords, especially when compared to, say, ten or twenty years ago. The thing is, cyber threats have also evolved, so even if your password seems somewhat decent, it probably isn’t as reliable as you think.
If you want to change that (which you should!), I advise you to stay on this page and check the advice and tips I’ve prepared for you.
What is a Strong Password? (And why you need it)
It’s never been as important as it is today to keep your digital locks in check and ensure no one can access your important data. We keep so much important stuff in our virtual accounts today to the point where having them hacked can have very serious real-life consequences.
A single data leak where a hacker gains access to your Gmail and you can say goodbye to the dozens of accounts linked to it. This could mean loss of money, other assets, sensitive data, and more. It could even mean that a hacker can impersonate you and thus bring chaos to your normal life. To put it bluntly – you can’t afford to leave your passwords weak and vulnerable.
So you need a ‘strong’ password, but there doesn’t seem to be consensus what is a strong password in the first place. Some sites want just length. In recent years increasingly more accounts require special letters, numbers (and a multitude of them at that) to the point where I just try to fill the bar with the requirement that’s needed, but I run into a never ending problem. Since nothing is a standard anymore, I have to make up and use different passwords for each and every account and I can’t remember them. And this – this requires a strategy.
How to Generate a Strong Password
I used to think that creating complex passwords is bound to be some sort of overwhelming task. I thought I’d need to keep track of a myriad of random strings of letters, numbers, and symbols that I’ll have to constantly re-enter when logging in.
Turns out it’s actually nowhere near as elaborate. You just need to apply a suitable strategy to enhance your password security without compromising on memorability.
Embrace Phrasal Passwords
Phrasal passwords are all about using phrases or sentences that are easy to remember as the basis of your passwords. This lets you create moderately long passwords that are quite difficult to crack, and it gives you an easy way to remember them:
Think of a meaningful phrase that you know by heart and make it into an acronym, where only some of the words are represented by letters. And then, to make the password much stronger without it being harder to remember, replace some of the letters with numbers. You’ll be surprised how effective this can be. For instance:
- “To be or not to be, that is the question” gets turned into “2BorNot2B_ThatIsThe?“
- “Four score and seven years ago” transforms into “4Score&7yrsAgo”
Extra Tip: Use phrases related to the type of website. For example, you can use a money-related phrase for a password for a banking site.
Customize a Master Password
Many people like to use the same password on all sites, which is a very, very bad idea. However, you can still have one main (master) password and use it as the base for all your others. It might sound unusual, but believe me, you can adapt your master password for as many different sites as you want:
- Start with your base password, like “ElephantMan“.
- Then just modify it for each site by adding symbols and site-specific codes:
- Amazon: “El3phAnt.M@n_AMZN_ShoP”
- Bank of America: “El3phAnt.M@n_BoA_B@nkinG”
- Facebook: “El3phAnt.M@n_F@ceB_SociaL”
This method allows you to retain a core password, which makes all the variations easier to remember, but without compromising security.
Twist Your Favorite Song Lyrics
Or just use the lyrics of a song as your password. This is as easy to remember as it gets, yet still gives you a good level of security, especially if you make some modifications:
- Original lyric: “We can beat them, just for one day.”
- Password: “WeCan*BeatThem_7984”
Here, I simply added two special symbols and a random number at the end, which gets me a pretty strong random password, that’s still quite easy to remember.
Incorporate Historical Events
Combine significant historical dates with unrelated words. You already know the event, so remembering it is easy, and the random object is also easy to remember because it stands out like a sore thumb:
- “MoonLanding1969_Tea”
- “BerlinWall1989$Star”
Needless to say, this is also a decently strong password. However, I also recommend replacing some of the letters with numbers. For instance, “MoonLanding1969_Tea” becomes “M0onL@nd1ng1969_T3@”.
Visual Patterns on the Keyboard
I really like this one – it’s super simply, yet results in a seemingly super random password. Basically, think of your keyboard as a canvas and draw some type of shape or pattern using your keys:
- For example, “1qazsedcft6” forms a “W” shape on the keyboard.
This is really really easy to remember, However, note that it’s recommended to make the first, the last or both the first and the last letters of the password upper case. It makes the password stronger and also lets you meet the requirements that many sites have for passwords to have both lower and upper case letters.
Visual Passwords and Symbols
Keyboards have over 100 keys and a ton of symbols that let you enhance password complexity. I recommend making good use of them. The following symbols are normally allowed within a password:
- (space), ! ” # $ % & ‘ ( ) * + , – . / : ; < = > ? @ [ \ ] ^ _` { | } ~
To make it easier to remember what symbols you used, you can try forming basic emojis like :), :(, ^_^, and so on.
Avoid These Common Pitfalls
It should go without saying, but I’ll say it anyway – remember to avoid easily guessable information as your passwords. You know the drill:
- Personal Details: Never use names, birthdays, addresses, or any information that can be linked to you.
- Sequential Numbers or Letters: Patterns like “123456” or “abcdef” are out of the question.
- Reusing Passwords: Each account should have a unique password to prevent a domino effect if one is compromised.
Cybercriminals often research their targets, scouring social media and public records for hints. You make it significantly harder for them to breach your accounts if you avoid personal references.
Strong Password Suggestions
The previous tips let you create a balanced password that’s reliably strong and also easy to use for everyday purposes. In here we’ll go overboard – think of this section as ‘suggestions’ for a strong password, rather than an outright requirement. I’ll add more if I can think of other suggestions later.
If you want to prioritize security over convenience, I suggest you to try a password matrix. This will allow you to create more unique passwords, but you’ll require a special ‘cheat sheet’ to read them – sort of like a master password to decrypt them.
A password matrix involves creating a chart with random characters associated with letters and numbers. Basically, you’ll be creating your own secret cipher:
- Create a Chart: Assign random strings to letters and numbers. For example:
| A: Xp | B: jv | C: s | D: V |
| E: mx | F: x | G: s | H: pj |
| I: kRG | J: f | K: aLj | L: wrn |
| M: si | N: W | O: HEg | P: ag |
| Q: Ft | R: v | S: U | T: KFK |
| U: ghv | V: VD | W:Le | X: L |
| Y: tA | Z: wD | 0: WC | 1: z |
| 2: G | 3: CKu | 4: UC | 5: QJs |
| 6: Xvp | 7: Um | 8: qM | 9: Lx |
- Use the Chart to Generate Passwords: Replace characters in a word or phrase with the corresponding strings from your chart.
Even if someone finds your chart, they still won’t be able to enter your account, because they won’t know the phrase you are using.
Note this method is quite advanced and pretty inconvenient if you need to frequently re-enter the password. On the flip side, if you need a really secure password, this is one way to do it.
Random Password Generators and Password Managers
If managing multiple complex passwords feels daunting to you, and you constantly need to juggle between them, then you’ll probably need some external assistance. The obvious solution is to employ specialized tools like a password generator or a password manager.
Deciding which one to get depends on your specific needs. Password generators give you very strong random passwords made of random letters that are ideal for highly important accounts that must be kept very secure. The downside is that it will be quite difficult to remember the password.
That is why I personally prefer password managers. They are better-rounded tools that can also create strong passwords but also let you store and use them safely, so you don’t have to remember them. You just need to remember a single master password that lets you access all the other ones, and that’s it.
Password Generators
Generate random, high-strength passwords instantly. Some generators provide mnemonic devices to help you remember the passwords.
- Example output: “K4k’F@F#>v_[2.z>”
- With a clue: “KOREAN 4 korean ‘ FRUIT @ FRUIT # > visa _ [ 2 . zip >”
Password Managers
Store all your passwords securely in one place. You only need to remember the master password to access the manager.
Options range from built-in solutions like Google’s Password Manager to standalone apps recommended by trusted sources.
Final Thoughts
The passwords we use online are one of the most overlooked aspects of our virtual security. Users will install antiviruses, VPNs, and all sorts of other security tools to keep them safe from malware, but will use the same old “987654321” password on all their accounts without realizing just how vulnerable it is.
It’s crucial that we do not ignore such basic security precautions such as having strong and unique passwords for all our important accounts. Otherwise, we making it extremely easy not only for hackers, but for anyone really, to gain unobstructed access to our most valuable data.
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