We know you’re going to roll your eyes when we suggest that you have a unique password, which is at least 15 characters long and uses capitals, numbers and special characters, for every single account you have. I mean every IT person always says the same thing.
Why is that?
It makes it difficult to crack.
That’s all.
It makes it difficult for the attacker to get into your accounts.
Creating a strong and unique password is the first line of defence against people gaining access to your data and your accounts.
Having a different and unique password for every account means that, if you were to accidentally give away your password, you would only have to change that one accounts password. When an attacker has your password they will attempt to login into your other accounts.
We hear your cries “The problem with unique passwords is it’s hard to remember!”
You’re right! They are hard to remember.
This is how you create memorable and strong password.
Let’s take a popular phrase from the IT crowd. “Hello IT, have you tried turning it off and on again? “
hihyttioaoa = 1 day to crack
hiHyTtiOaoA = 5 years to crack
h1HyTtiOa0A = 41 years
h1,HyTtiO&0A? = 46 million years
Time to crack is based on security.org
This is a basic password but you can see how easy it is to remember. There are other methods to creating a memorable password like using three random words which is recommended by the NSCSC. This method gives you the length and it is easier to remember but it doesn’t give you the complexity.
What about remembering passwords for multiple accounts?
Our advice is to use the tools available to you. There are loads of password managers available that will allow you to securely store your passwords.