When it comes to safeguarding your online identity and data, the strength of your password plays a crucial role. A robust password acts as the first line of defence against unauthorised access.


Essential Guidelines

  • Length Matters: Aim for at least 12 characters. Research shows that as password length increases, the time and computational resources required for a brute-force attack increase significantly.
  • Mix It Up:Incorporate a combination of:
    • Lowercase letters
    • Uppercase letters
    • Numbers
    • Symbols
  • Avoid Common Words: Refrain from using easily guessable words, especially those found in dictionaries. This helps protect against dictionary attacks.
  • Personal Information is a No-Go: Never use easily obtainable information like your child’s name, your birthdate, or your pet's name. This makes your password susceptible to guesswork.
  • Uniqueness is Key: Ensure every password you use is distinct. Reusing passwords increases the risk of multiple accounts being compromised if one password gets exposed.
  • Sharing Isn’t Caring: Keep your passwords confidential. Sharing them, even with close friends or family, puts your security at risk.
  • Avoid Obvious Substitutions: While it may seem clever, replacing letters with similar looking numbers (e.g., "E" with "3" or "A" with "4") is well-known and can be accounted for in password-cracking tools.

Bonus Tips

  • Consider using a passphrase. This is a sequence of random words or a sentence that's easy to remember but hard to guess. For example, "BlueFrogJumpsOverTheMoon!" is more secure than "MoonJump123".
  • Two-factor authentication (2FA) is a brilliant extra layer of security. If available, always enable 2FA for your accounts.
  • Use a password manager. These tools generate and store complex passwords for you, so you only have to remember one master password.


By following these guidelines, you enhance your digital security and reduce the likelihood of unauthorised access to your accounts.


Anything Else?


If you want to check how good your password is, try looking here:

https://password.kaspersky.com/


DO NOT enter your real password, just one like it!


You can look here for some extra ideas:

Found a problem with this article? Please let us know.