Let’s be honest, remembering complex passwords is hard specially if you have a lot of different accounts online. But it is also non-practical to use simple passwords since, chances are, you may get your account hacked.
REMEMBER THIS WHEN CREATING PASSWORDS
- Use all different possible characters on your keyboard. Uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and special characters. (However, there are some websites that doesn’t accept special characters).
- Do not use dictionary words, names, birth dates, or anything related to you (which can be found easily on your web profile, Google your name and find out).
- Do not use keyboard pattern passwords like: qwerty or asdf or wasd or 1234 or 8765.
- At least 14 characters or more. Period.
Now here are some tips for creating, storing, or simply remembering complex passwords.
Shifting and changing
1. Shift Your Fingers One Key to the Right (or left)… thereby changing your weak password to a complex one. [lifehacker]
Example:
password == [sddeptf
2. Use all keyboard characters, and change letters to numbers.
Example:
password == pa$$w0rd
Write it down and store it
1. Use a PasswordCard. On how to use it, just go over to their website.
Your PasswordCard has a unique grid of random letters and digits on it. The rows have different colors, and the columns different symbols. All you do is remember a combination of a symbol and a color, and then read the letters and digits from there.
2. Use a password keeper software. Just make sure you use a complex master password (and just remember that one).
- http://www.keepass.info
- http://www.roboform.com
- http://passwordsafe.sourceforge.net/
- http://agilewebsolutions.com/products/1Password [Mac]
Remember complex passwords
1. Use your own algorithm. By creating your own algorithm you can create different complex passwords for your website without writing it down.
Example algorithm is:
[your name in reverse] [#$%] [lucky number x NS] [%$#] [last 3 letters of website in reverse]In Facebook your password will be like:
sIrHc#$%104%$#kooBreaking the down:
sIrHc = your name in reverse (Chris) alternating capital letters for added security
#$% = special characters
104 = lucky number (13) multiplied by [NS] number of letters of the website (8)
%$# = special characters in reverse
koo = last 3 letters of website in reverse (facebook)In Yahoo, your password would be like this:
sIrHc#$%65%$#oohIn short, you will only need to remember your algorithm, then you can login to any website you have an acount.
Note however that some websites do not accept special characters like $%#@. In those cases, you can still use your algorithm, just exclude the special characters.
More after the break…
After creating your complex password, you can test it out on Microsoft Password Checker or at Howsecureismypassword.net which will show you how long your password will be cracked by a hacker. The algorithm password example for Facebook above would take about 238 quadrillion years for a desktop PC to crack your password.
Most notable reads: (you may learn a thing or two here)
Choose (and remember) great passwords
Choosing Secure Passwords by Bruce Schneier
How I’d Hack Your Weak Passwords by John