Basics for Creating Strong Passwords
Feb
1
Written by:
2/1/2012 9:09 AM
Our second take on keep your computer and accounts safe
Many of our home users ask us for tips about creating strong passwords, so here are some basic tips to keep you safe.
If you keep just two things in mind, use these 2 tips:
Tip #1: Stick to a password length of at least 8 characters—The more characters, the better. This makes it harder to crack. We recommend 10 characters or more.
Tip#2: Create a password with adequate complexity—Use at least one character from the following groups, go for a minimum of 4 characters made up of the following.
- Lowercase letters
- Uppercase letters
- Special characters
- Numbers
Just by using these guidelines, you will have stronger passwords than many people.
Here is another idea to try—create a phrase that you can remember and use the first letters to create a password you can remember. Let’s say your favorite band is The Rolling Stones and your favorite album by them is “Exile on Main Street.” This gives you TRSEOMS. It’s a good start, now let’s make it password-worthy!
First we’ll put in several lowercase letters:
TrsEoMS
We already have uppercase letters in here, so we’ll move on to the next step…
Next, we’ll convert several letters to special characters:
Tr$EoM$
Notice how we changed the letter “S” to the “$” sign because it looks like an “S”.
Finally, we’ll change the “o” to a zero.
Tr$EOM$
You know what it means, but it is sure hard to guess! If this sounds like more that you care to take on, read our posting about RoboForm. It’s an outstanding passwords manager! If you have any questions about RoboForm or securing your computer, contact us via email or by phone at 585-466-4662.
Copyright ©2012