Strong password

Hey, what’s your password? The Dark Web knows

Creating Better Passwords

To make passwords “strong,” they must be both unique and lengthy (at least 12 characters).
Generally, people are pretty bad at creating passwords that fit either category (much less both). You could let a computer do it for you and if you did, you’d probably get a strong password. Indeed, there are lots of free password generators available. We recommend 1Password’s tool which you can find at https://1password.com/password-generator/. The problem with password generators is that they create passwords that are hard for us to memorize. (good luck memorizing Z-5t2x1UCB7TB55Xc6NeA). If you’re going to use a password generator, then you should include a program like LastPass, 1Password, RoboForm, or a host of others to manage them for you. If you don’t use a password generator, then you need to create your own passwords, and you need to have a better strategy than 99% of the computer users out there. So, how do you create a unique, lengthy password that is (relatively) easy to memorize?
Here’s what we recommend. Step 1.
Forget everything that you think you know about passwords. You’re probably wrong and that password that you think is super unique [favorite number] [kid’s name] [year born][exclamation point]), probably isn’t. Step 2:
Start by creating a base phrase. Choose something that is meaningful to you or only known by you. Do not choose a phrase found in popular culture (e.g. book title, song lyrics, college mascot) or something that others might know or could easily find out. Yes, spaces are okay and in fact, the more spaces the better. Some examples:
  • My dog loves peanut butter
  • Biking grandson Eric
  • My fave red tulips
  • Love eat tacos
Want to make your passphrase even stronger?
When you create your base phrase, use a mix of different languages or three or four random words. Examples:
  • My perro loves peanut butter
  • Lets eat more fromage
  • Family blue balloon locker
  • Maui ink hammer cake
Step 3:
Pick a number, a special character (!@#$%^&*), or a pair of numbers and special characters, and replace every empty space in the base phrase:
  • My5perro5loves5peanut5butter
  • Lets99%eat99%more99%fromage
  • Family3$blue3$balloon3$locker
  • Maui#23ink#23hammer#23cake
Want to make your passphrase even stronger?
Instead of using the same number, special character, or pair in every empty space, mix it up. Use a different number/character for each empty space. Or use a number/character in the first and last empty space and leave the others as empty spaces. Examples:
  • My5perro7loves3peanut6butter
  • Lets99%eat more99%fromage
  • Family3$blue balloon locker
  • Maui#23ink3#2hammer2#3cake
General Tips
Strong passwords are essential to protecting yourself from attacks. Keep in mind, that every character you add to the length of your password adds exponentially to the time it takes to hack your password. Now that you have a better password, memorize it, and don’t write it down.

Let us help you maintain a safer, more secure, and more reliable technology environment.