How do you create a strong password?
Short Tips
- +Why strong passwords?
- We put our money on a bank account, we lock our front door when we leave our house and we never leave our car unlocked when we are not there. We all think this is normal and we do this so that no one can steal our belongings or finds out things we do not want anyone to know.
The same counts on the Internet. But a lock on the door is not just a lock, it is firm, and there is only one key to open it. We do not lock our door with a rubber band because then it would be easy to open the door. Also here, the same counts on the Internet. If I use password123 as a password, then it will be easy for others to find out. Also, the name of your cat or dog or the name of your children are things that we share daily with people, so it is not smart to make it your password.
- +Are complex passwords difficult to remember?
Not true! They do not have to be complex for you, but for other people. If, for example, your name is Lilly, then this will be easy for others. But if you use L1ll7, which looks a lot like Lilly, then this will be more difficult already.
So, do not search for something that you cannot remember yourself, but take something which is easy to remember for you and use it with a twist. If you remember the rules to make this, then you will not easily forget the password.
- +How often do I have to change my complex password?
This is a difficult question. First of all, it is important to know what you are securing. It may be smart to make access to your bank account more difficult than the password on the school website to download certain lessons.
Secondly, the complexity of the password is important, and this is something special. The more passwords we make, but especially the more we change them, the easier we make them. Otherwise, we cannot remember them. It can thus be very useful to choose a very difficult password and to change it less often so that you are sure to remember it.
However, if you know or suspect that someone else knows your password, then change your password as soon as possible!
- +Tips from PaSMaN?
- You see, it is not always easy. But to summarize:
- One password for everything is not a good idea.
- Avoid logging in with your social media accounts.
- Important accesses (such as your bank account) should have very difficult passwords.
- Rather make a password more difficult, than to change it often.
- If someone knows or may know your password, change it!
Good luck and be sure to read the article on the password manager. This can certainly be of help to you.
How to's
A strong password is a password that is complex enough that it cannot be guessed or hacked. There is one standard rule that you should remember, the longer the password, the more difficult it is to hack it.
Use the standard rules and create a strong (difficult to remember) password.
- At least 14 characters long
- No real name, company name or user name
- No complete word
- Clearly different from other passwords
- Includes characters from each of the following four categories:
- Capital letters A, B, C, D, …
- Small letters a, b, c, d, …
- Numbers 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
- Symbols found on the keyboard and spaces ` ~! @ # $ % ^ & * ( ) _ – + = { } [ ] | : ; ” ‘ < > , . ? /
Create an acronym from an easy to remember a piece of information
- Choose, for example, a sentence which is meaningful to you, e.g. my son’s birthday is 12 December 2004. Use this as a guideline, you can turn this into Msbi12/dec,4 and use it as a password.
- Replace letters or words with numbers, symbols and spelling mistakes which are easy to remember. The sentence my son’s birthday is 12 December 2004 can, for example, be turned into M§ons’brtd8iz 12124 (you can use spaces in your password)
- Relate your password to your favourite hobby or sports. For example, Badminton is my sports can be turned into B@m1nt()n=m’ysprts…
- A quote from a movie or song can of course also be used
- Remembering a strong password is not easy, use a trick together with a password manager for this (hyperlink)!
A password sentence can also be used and is, unlike the other two methods, easier to remember.
- Do not use Mertens14 but MertensIsTheBestSoccerPlayer; or
- Do not use Fifike2017 but MyDogIsTheSweetest;
- Do not use Password2018 but MyPasswordIsSafe.
You can also use three words that do not relate to each other and connect them
- Elephant-Chair-Olive
- Car-Phone-Spinach
- River-Book-Snow
The nice thing about this last method is that you can make an image of the words. If you look at the first password, I see an olive-eating elephant balancing on a chair.
