How to create & protect strong passwords.
Strong passwords make digital life harder for hackers and safer for you.
Your passwords are the first line of defense for your online accounts. Here are some tips on how to create a great password.
1. Make It Long, at least 16 characters long - more is better. I’ll often use 22, 30, even 60+ character passwords.
2. Make It Complex
An example of a complex password would be: %0YHVJ5apvbhOplYzJ8QVW
UPPER and lower case letters;
Numbers; and
Symbols (like % ! # @)
3. Passphrases work great, too.
An example of a passphrase password would be: Palfr!esmantisbees4
(This passphrase means: Pal fr!es mantis bees 4 — easier to remember and type, still super strong)
4. Make It Unique.
If you only take away one lesson, make it this one. Make your password unique and never reuse passwords. If one site is hacked, you’ll only need to change that single password. Same password everywhere? How many sites would you need to reset that password on?
See our blog post on what bad guys do with all those stolen credentials. You’ll see why #3 is vital to make a habit of. How Cybercriminals Use Stolen Credentials
5. Use a Password Manager
Store your passwords in a secure app. Trusted ones (as of now anyway) include:
1Password
Bitwarden
LastPass
NordPass
Apple’s built-in Passwords app (great on iPhones/Macs.)
Avoid sketchy or unknown free ones!
6. Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
Add extra security with an authenticator app, examples: Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator, Authy, DUO Authenticator just to name a few. Many Password Managers will also act as an authenticator.
*If you don’t use an aethentnicaor app, SMS/Text is better than nothing, but app-based MFA is much safer and more convenient.
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