Recommendations for Creating Strong Passwords
A quick but essential guide to how to create a password. Safety must be a priority.
In this beautiful world of the machine, it is essential to have guaranteed access to all those applications or computer programs that our valuable information has.
Finding the perfect or secure password for our account has become a not so easy task to complete. It is easier to write the classic “123” or “our name” as a password instead of thinking of a complete way to create it. Note that the name of your pet is known by whoever is close to you; therefore, it is not a good idea to put it as your access code. So how can you find that perfect word or phrase to make your passkey and challenging to crack?
If you want to have the ability to create passwords difficult to crack for humans and computers and also have the satisfaction that your accounts are protected; So, I invite you to continue reading this article. In the end, you will also find a recommendation if you are one of those people who save passwords in their browsers. Now, let’s get down to business.
Keep a minimum length (8 characters)
All websites and apps with a restricted section for authenticated users always have restrictions or requirements when creating a password for a new account or updating an existing password. For example, the minimum number of characters, capital letters, numbers, special characters, do not repeat characters consecutively.
Meeting these requirements helps create a strong password and keep your account secure.
I recommend that you use at least eight characters, in addition to meeting the above requirements. Platforms can vary their required length; however, keeping an eight-digit password will increase the difficulty of cracking it.
If you are creating your password and entering it directly to the website or app, I suggest typing the password confirmation instead of pasting it from the clipboard. Not all platforms have a confirmation password feature.
A different password for each platform or application
Some people use a password for all their user accounts that they have on the platforms. There is no reason worth more than the security of your account. Please do not join this group of people.
This is insecure and malicious because the password is left vulnerable to any cracker who wants to know your user credentials. It does not matter that you follow the recommendations when creating a strong password; if you do not change passwords, the cracker only has to focus his efforts on one point. Thus, a greater probability of hacking the account. If the attacker discovers your credentials, you are in trouble.
On the other hand, if you have different passwords for your accounts and the cracker breaks an account’s security, he will keep that, one account, and not all.
If you want to use your passwords patterns, I recommend that those patterns are not greater than ten percent of the password. Use a different password for each site.
If, at this moment, it seems to you that you have many accounts created and that creating a password for each of your accounts will not leave you space to remember your birthday. In the next section, I will tell you how you can solve this small problem and regain the freedom to think about other essential things. It would be best to use a different password for each site not to face something that will take all your attention.
Use a Password Manager
The problem of having many passwords is solved with a password manager. This saves you, even updates (if you wish), each password you require. Wait, a password manager can also help you create passwords. If you are in a pinch and want to create a password right away, then a manager’s random passwords feature will come in handy.
In principle, I did not recommend it because a random password is more difficult for you to remember, and it is more difficult to know how it was generated. But if you are using a password manager, it does not matter because it will save that password for you, and it will be available to you when you need it.
Once you have all your passwords created and stored in your password manager, you will need a master password to protect your password manager app. It would be useless if you have your passwords encrypted if anyone can access your management application.
Consider the recommendations above to create your master password. Complement your password with a mnemonic to help you remember it.
Update your master password frequently to increase your security. It is essential to know that password managers are targets of crackers.
Encrypt before encrypting your password
You know how to create a strong password; however, if you still insist on creating a weak password; so, I recommend you encrypt your password and use the result as your final password. This assumption may apply to everyone who wishes to encrypt a password even after following the recommendations for a secure password. The way to achieve this is by looking for an application on the Internet to encrypt a text.
Once you find the application, enter your password or the word you want to encrypt and let the application apply the algorithm. Then use the result as your final password.
You should know that almost all sites or applications have an encryption system before storing your password in their databases. So, let’s say you will have double encryption of your password if you do what I have suggested.
If you want to save time in your search for an application to encrypt your future password, I invite you to read my post about encrypting your password online using the Python programming language. In the post, I provide you with a codebase that you can run in any Python interpreter.
Use the Security Questions
Some platforms offer security questions. These are personal questions to be able to recover your password or to be able to access the platform in case it does not recognize you or an attempt to steal information is detected.
Please, if the platform you want to access has these questions, do not skip them. Even if this represents a little more time invested, it will benefit you in the long run.
I do not recommend that you answer these questions honestly because anyone who knows you well enough could answer these questions and log into your account. Instead, I recommend that you use dummy answers, but what can you remember.
Using a Google account if the site has the Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPs)
Using your Google account or an email account that offers an authentication API may be recommended to save you the task of creating a password. After trying to create a password, I suggest you take this option and only on sites with an SSL certificate or the HTTPs. This feature ensures that the sites encrypt the communication of information.
Not all platforms have this feature. You can identify if the site has security if it has a green or gray padlock in the address bar.
Creating an account using Google means that a platform (must be registered with Google) connects through an API and requests your data to create a user profile. For this to work, you must log in to your Google account.
In your Google account, you have a section to control the applications connected to your account.
Did you save your password in the web browser?
Congratulations on creating your account with a reliable and secure password. There is something else you should know.
Web browsers can detect when you log into a website. Immediately after hitting the start button, the browser will launch a dialogue window. In this, it will ask you if you want to save your access data to the site. Please, do not store your password in the web browser. It will save you time, yes, but it will cause you more problems if someone else gets access to your device.
If you have already saved your password or do not remember if you have saved passwords in your browser, I suggest you export them and then delete them from the browser.
In the “profile” or “autocomplete” section of your browser’s configuration menu, you will find the saved passwords section. Look for three dots or a button that allows you to export. They are often next to the Saved Passwords heading. The browser will likely ask you for the password of your device to export. Type it.
Then, delete each of the saved credentials or delete the browsing data (including cookies, browsing history, and downloads). I invite you to read my post on strategies so that websites do not track you on the web, where I teach how to delete your browsing data and passwords.
The protection of your data and user accounts is essential and should not be left until last. Not applying these tips is wanting to be a victim. Having the resources to manage your passwords correctly puts you one step ahead of crackers.
Handle your information with care and enjoy your privacy.
Greetings.
