The big problem with passwords is that we all tend to use the same ones over and over again. And once a hacker gets a hold of your passwords to one website, they can easily try them out on other sites because many websites use those same passwords. The easiest way to fix this problem? Create strong passwords that are easy to remember and unique for each site you visit. Here's 4 4 best suggestions on how to create stronger passwords that are harder to crack.
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Don't use the same password for everything.
- Don't use the same password for everything.
- Use different passwords for different accounts, and make sure that each password is unique and strong. If one account is compromised, it shouldn't affect the security of any other site you access. For example, if someone finds out your user ID/email and password for Gmail, they shouldn't be able to log into your Facebook or Amazon account as well—unless you're using those same credentials on them all (which would be a huge mistake).
- Consider using a password manager like 1Password or LastPass to generate secure passwords across all of the websites you visit. This way you only need to remember one master password rather than dozens or hundreds of separate ones, which can be difficult to recall without writing them down somewhere so they're still accessible later when needed.
Use both upper and lower case letters.
The first step is to use both upper and lower case letters. In fact, this is a major part of good password creation because it makes your password harder to crack by using the full keyboard. You should also include numbers and special characters in your passwords so that they are even more difficult to guess.
If you're having trouble thinking up a strong password on your own, try creating one based on some kind of phrase or saying that you know well. For example, if you like music then a song lyric would be an easy way to start building up the right letters for a memorable password that's hard for others to guess. You could also take something from literature or popular culture such as an actor's name or character from one of their favorite shows or movies…
Use numbers and special characters too.
Just as we recommend adding uppercase letters, symbols and numbers to your passwords, it’s also important not to use the same number or symbol for every password. For example, if you always use a numeric sequence in your passwords (such as 1234), it makes them easier to crack.
It’s also important that you don't use the same special characters in all of your passwords either — otherwise an attacker could gain access to many different accounts by trying variations on just one of those character types.
Create your own phrase and shortening it.
You can create a memorable password by using a sentence and shortening it. For example, “I always drink coffee at 3:00pm” becomes “Iadc@3pm.” In this case, you were able to use the first letters of each word in the phrase to create a secure password. This method is effective because it's easy to remember and not easy for others to guess.
The best way to come up with strong passwords is by randomizing your choice of words so you don't have any patterns or repeating characters in each one. You should also avoid personalizing your passwords by adding information such as birthdays or names into them as they are more likely to be guessed or hacked than other types of passwords if they fall into the wrong hands.
Conclusion: Understanding How to create stronger passwords that are harder to crack
Using a password manager is the best way to create strong passwords, but it isn't always convenient. If you don't want to use a password manager, you can still make your passwords stronger by following these guidelines:
- Create long and complex passwords by using at least two different types of characters (for example, letters, numbers and symbols) and increasing their length as much as possible.
- Avoid using personal information such as your name or birth date in your password. This makes them easy for someone who knows you well to guess. It's also important not to have one single strong password that you reuse on multiple websites; this creates risk if any one site gets hacked because someone gains access to all of your accounts with that same password! You should change it regularly so that even if one site gets compromised there won't be too much damage done.”
