Creating good passwords that are secure and hard to crack is more important now than ever before because we are constantly using electronic devices to access information. Even though it’s easier for us to just use our favorite pet’s name, or our birthday as our password, we really shouldn’t. Instead, we should create passwords that are hard to figure out.
The way password creation programs are designed, shorter and less complex passwords are easier to guess. This is because these programs use something known as ‘brute force attacks’. Basically, they try out many different combinations of possible passwords, starting with the simplest and shortest ones.
Let’s imagine trying to open a padlock that uses just three numbers. The person trying to unlock it might start from 000 and keep going — 001, 002, 003, all the way to 999. The same idea applies to password cracking software, where a simple password like ‘123456’ is ridiculously easy to crack.
Here’s some advice on how to create stronger passwords. First, try to come up with a password that’s long, at least 12 characters. Make it complex by including upper and lower case letters, numbers and symbols. Also, don’t use obvious and easily available personal information like your name, favorite team or pet’s name. Importantly, don’t use the same password for all accounts. If one gets compromised, they all could.
Sometimes it may feel like a daunting task to remember all these complicated and long passwords. However, there are tools out there made to help us with this! These tools, known as password managers, not only help remember passwords but also create complex ones. So, instead of having to remember ‘jH9kd$72Kdls#’, the password manager will handle it for you.
Staying safe online doesn’t end with creating good passwords. It’s also important to set up something known as two-factor authentication (2FA) if it’s available. This is like adding an extra lock on a door. Even if someone discovers your password, they would need a second piece of information, like a code sent to your phone, to access your account.
To sum up, even if all this seems like a lot of work, it’s really important. Good password practices ensure that our personal and financial information remains safe. Make a commitment to start setting stronger passwords and using a password manager. It could save you a world of trouble down the line.
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