How to Create a Strong Password
How to Create a Strong Password
A strong password should meet all three of these criteria:
- Over eight characters
- Combines letters, numbers and symbols
- Easy for you to remember, but difficult for others to guess
Choose a Long Phrase
- Ask not what your country can do for you …
- To be or not to be, that is the question
- We have nothing to fear but fear itself
Make all (or some) of the following substitutions
- For the word “are”, use “r”
- For the word “be”, use “b”
- For the word “for”, use 4
- For the word “nothing”, use 0 (zero)
- For the word “to”, use 2
- For the word “you” use “u”
- For the word “we”, use “v”
- For any numbers, type the number
- If permitted, use “&” for and, or “@” for at.
Make changes and pick the first letter of every word
- “Ask not what your country can do for you” becomes : AnWyCcd4U
- “To be or not to be, that is the question” becomes : 2bOn2BtItQ
- “We have nothing to fear but fear itself” : Vh02FbFi
Tips and Tricks
- Choose one long password for all sites : The best security would be to use a different long password at each site;
but that’s nearly impossible to do. This is the second best solution. - Use Hotkeys Software : Keyboard software can enter a good long strong password with one key entry or click.
See Technical Tips : Hotkey Software - Reprogram a keyboard key : New keyboards allow you to reprogram some keys like MyHome/Back/Email/Cal key.
Change one to the password you want to use. - Check your password on Google : If it is a complicated strong password, it should not be found.
Traps
- Do NOT use your username as the password.
- Do NOT use “password” as your password.
- Do NOT use your first name or last name as your password.
- Do NOT use repeating or sequential numbers as password e.g. 1234567890, 22222222
- Do NOT use dictionary words as passwords.
- Do NOT use single “hacker phrases” as passwords e.g. “M1cr0$0ft” or “P@ssw0rd”
- Do NOT write down the password on a post-it and stick it on the monitor.
Some useful links
- Strong passwords: How to create and use them : Tips from Microsoft
- Creating Strong Passwords : Tips from Princeton University
- The Strong Password Dilemma : Research paper on strong passwords.
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April 22nd, 2006 at 2:35 am
The comment:
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Choose one long password for all sites : The best security would be to use a different long password at each site;
but that’s nearly impossible to do. This is the second best solution.
—
Should be deleted, this argument is flawed. If someone chooses the same password for all sites, it only takes a dodgy site or a key logger to gain access to all sites. Rather, use a password template: i.e. “To be or not to be, that is the question” becomes: 2bon2btitq, then for a a profile on a music site, change the password to: 2bon2btitqmusic, for a news site, make your password: 2bon2btitqnews, for a shopping site use: 2bon2btitqshop etc…
Keeps the same principle as the original article but allows the password to be more secure.