Are Passwords Driving You Crazy?

You cannot do anything online without a password. Your identity and finances are being protected by that password and are up for grabs if you don’t pay attention. The news is full of many retailers and banks who have experienced data breaches. You can check and see if your personal data is up for grabs here.

Did You Know?

• A password with less than 5 characters can be cracked within 5 seconds?
• One with less than 7 characters can be cracked within a day?
• One with 9 characters will need a hundred years to crack?
• Over 33 percent of hacked accounts used 123456 as the password and more than 23 million users use that as their password online

That is why it is so important to make strong passwords and to have different ones for different online tools.

We all know that our 45+ memories can make remembering them well, challenging. Here are some tips that will make managing them much easier.

How To Make A Strong Password And Remember It

First, check out your Password knowledge with this Quiz. How did you do? Let’s get started on how to create a strong password system that will work for you.

1. Use a phrase that you easily remember with at least 10 characters. “I love tulips most”
2. Substitute two numbers for two letters Il0ve2lipsm0 (zero for “o”, 2 for “t”)
3. Make one letter capital IL0ve2Lipsm0st (you can choose one letter and use it always to make it simple for you)
4. Make one letter a symbol IL0ve2Lip$m0$t (or instead you can always start or end your password with the same symbol)
5. Use similar variations for different types of sites for example:

• banks and institution are tulips (flowers)
• ordering sites could use trees
• social media sites could use cities
• all other sites could use animals

Do not use your name, children’s names, birthdates, and pets’ names as passwords to get access to your computer. Much of this information can be gleaned from social media sources. Don’t discount hackers spending a little time harvesting information in order to steal your assets.

Check how strong your password is on this site: https://howsecureismypassword.net/

Now That You Have A System

• Create a “TO DO LIST” in your phone notes or in your calendar which will give you a clue to remember what it is, but doesn’t actually contain your passwords in it. For example, using our tulips example above, your list might read “engrave necklace IL0VE” “buy tulips after banking”.
• Do not enter passwords when using unsecured Wi-Fi connections (like at the airport or coffee shops). Hackers make a point of intercepting your passwords and data, making money while they are having a coffee.
• Do not share them with your friends and family. You never know how the relationships may turn out.
• Do include a list of your important logins and passwords in your will.

Use A Password Service

You can also use a service that keeps your passwords for you in encrypted storage so you only have to remember one. Often they have features that will make it easy to sync on multiple devices. Learn more here.

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