Creating a strong password to protect your data and accounts.
We all know what a password is, right? It is key to keep all your data secure on several different websites. We can say it’s like a key to a door. Without the key, you can’t access your house, just like without password your account. Just like to a house some people may try to break into your account. They are called hackers. Those skilled computer programmers can try to access your accounts in many ways. Not always it is done by using spyware or phishing. Some attackers will attempt to guess your password using your personal information, which is why it’s very important not to use your details. Your passwords might also be cracked through brute force, which is automated guessing of billions of passwords until the correct one is found. This form of attack might take very long and that’s why changing passwords regularly is another important step to keep your data secure. To help you stay secure, we prepared a list of basic do’s and don’ts when creating your passwords.
Do’s:
· When creating a new password make sure it consists of a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, symbols and numbers. This automatically makes your password more secure and harder to hack by other people. Most websites now enforce that a password needs to consist of those different combinations to be able to set up an account.
· Other common criteria your password needs to meet is being at least 8 characters long. The more characters, the harder it will be for someone to guess or hack your password.
· Change passwords regularly limits the time that attackers have to do any damage, as well as in an event of losing your device any saved passwords might already be out of date to a potential hacker.
· Wherever possible use Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) as it adds another level of security to your accounts. That could also give you an idea when someone tried to hack into your account (e.g. when you receive a text message with a code, but it isn’t you trying to log in).
· Use abbreviation phrases for passwords. For example, if you insist on using your pets name make it as complicated as possible. Let’s take Charlie, it can be made stronger by Ch4rl13 and then adding some symbols or numbers: Ch4rl13@h0m3. This password would take about 34 thousand years (according to howsecureismypassword.net) to be cracked by a computer. Add an exclamation mark at the end and it moves up to 3 million years. I think that sounds pretty secure, doesn’t?
· Create passwords from very random words and put numbers between them. For example, ‘Unicorn2Calendar1Picture’, which would take 8 septillion years to crack!
Don’ts:
· Use simple and very common password like ‘123456789’,’password’, ‘qwerty’ or ‘dog’.
· Use the same password for many different websites and accounts.
· Write down or share your password with anyone.
· Allow the computer to save your password to a particular computer.
· Use personal data, like name, date of birth or favourite places.
· Make short passwords, they are very easy to guess or brute-forced.
· Store your password written down where it can be easily found or on the Internet.
If you have trouble remembering more complex but secure password there are services available online that store your passwords for you. Before you use one of them, make sure you read reviews or get personal recommendations. It’s just to make sure it is a legitimate website and not a hacker created space to steal people’s passwords or money. One of the websites we can recommend is KeePassXC, which operates for free and works with Windows, iOS, Android, Chrome and many more. Another program that offers secure storage for your passwords is ESET. When you purchase the Smart Security Premium, not only you’ll get protection for your Windows but also a Password Manager.
