Let’s be honest, no one likes to change their passwords. It makes me cringe whenever I see that prompt to reset my password. Furthermore, websites or programs that require passwords to be changed every 30 days typically prompts me to look for alternatives. I need something that is easier to access. Some may call it laziness, I prefer to call it convenience.
In lieu of the heartbleed bug, it is advised users change the passwords to many of their frequently used sites. If you haven’t read our previous post about which passwords to change, I’d highly recommend you take a moment to check it out.
You’re not alone if you blankly stare at your monitor trying to come up with that perfect password. Creating a strong password that is easy to remember, and that isn’t completely obvious, doesn’t come naturally to most people. The good news is that we often make this a bigger task than it needs to be.
Six tips on creating a bulletproof password:
- The longer the password the better. Most sites will recommend a password that is AT LEAST 7-10 characters long.
- Avoid using common phrases. “admin”, “password”, or “password123” are some of the worst passwords you can have. Just don’t use them. Period.
- Mix it up – use alpha numeric combinations with upper and lower case characters. For example, you could use something like: @Lpha_Nvm3r!c
- Use a combination of words or insert additional characters, such as SamplexoxPASSWORDxox
- Make it personal and easy to remember. If you’ve got children consider using the first few letters in their name(s). For example, if their names are John, Lauren, and Mike you could use “johlaumik” or “mykids-jolami”.
- Avoid using the same password for multiple sites. Set a unique password for each site you log into. Yes, it requires some more legwork, but this will make it more difficult for hackers to access your information in the event one of your accounts becomes compromised.