How to Choose a Good Password
Choosing good passwords is really more art than science. Hackers have tools that can break any password found in a dictionary or that is a simple transformation of a dictionary word. But choosing a good password that you can also remember can be a challenging task. Here is one idea to help you create and remember a good passwords.
Think of an easy to remember phrase, such as "It’s Easy To Create Good Passwords!". From this phrase extract the first letters and special characters. Also substitute the number 2 in the place of the word "to" and vary the case of the letters. This methodology leads to a password of I'sSe2CgP!
Examples of Good Passwords
Password | Explanation |
1C'tRmU&P | Which is tied to the phrase, "I Can't Remember My Username and Password" |
F!,@GpA55w0rDs | Which is loosely tied to the phrase, "Finally!, A Good Password Scheme" |
Examples of Bad Passwords
Password | Explanation |
alec7 | Based on the user's name, too short, no special character |
PORSCHE911 | Proper name, in the dictionary, no special character |
qwerty_ui | Letter series |
merde3 | In a French dictionary; too short; no special character |
zeo$lite | In a geological dictionary, no number |
How to Remember (and Create!) Good Passwords: Use a Password Manager
Now that you have a good password, you're probably worried about remembering it. "Password managers" allow you to safely store all of you passwords in an encrypted "safe" on your computer or are available online. You only need to remember a single password to "open" the "safe" and retrieve one of your many other passwords. Most password managers will also create complex passwords for you. Read more about Password Managers.
