The importance of strong passwords cannot be overstated. There are many ways to keep your passwords safe.
Making exponentially difficult passwords
Here are three rules to make it exponentially more difficult for cybercriminals to crack your passwords.
First, the longer a password, the more difficult it is to crack. Aim for a password which is at least 10 characters long.
Second, use a mixture of capitalisations, spelling, numbers and punctuation when creating a password.
Third, avoid using names, places, and dictionary words.
Most common passwords to avoid
Cybercriminals use dictionaries to perform brute force attacks on online accounts, and frequently use English words, names, foreign words, and phonetic patterns to generate possible password combinations. Here are the top 20 passwords to avoid:
- 123456
- 123456789
- 12345
- qwerty
- password
- 12345678
- 111111
- 123123
- 1234567890
- 1234567
- qwerty123
- 000000
- 1q2w3e
- aa12345678
- abc123
- password1
- 1234
- qwertyuiop
- 123321
- password123
Techniques for creating an unbreakable, yet meaningful password
The issue with creating a random and unbreakable password is that it can be difficult to remember. Typing characters into a password without a rhyme or reason is equivalent to getting on a bus without a destination in mind.
A good password has familiarity or significance to you, but it makes it tough for anyone else to crack. You can use visualisations and stories that are prompts to help you remember a pass phrase. Here are two approaches to consider.
Take a sentence and turn it into a pass phrase
Also known as the ‘Bruce Schneier’s Method’, this technique involves turning words in a sentence into an abbreviated form to create a password. For example,
I love McDonald’s BIG macs they make me hungry = ILMcB!GMTme#gry
You can insert a mixture of special characters at particular points into the short form pattern for a randomised outcome.
Take a pass phrase and turn it into a sentence
This next method is the reverse of the previous technique. In other words, you will create a random password and attempt to attribute meaning to the pattern using a story.
I use a random password generator to create a 10 digit password.
sEgU5t$qLf = A swinging Egg Under a 5ft tall money tree when a quake Lifts the floor.
A mental picture is worth a thousand words, so make the narrative engaging and use lots and lots of action. For example, you can imagine the quake violently lifting the floor (ground).
Create 20 pass phrases and you could have enough passwords for a lifetime, well almost, you should never use the same password twice!
