Everyone know how important is to keep passwords safe and secure. Password is the key to prove identity or gain access to the services and data which is considered private and important.
Most of uses passwords multiple time a day to do work or access service. We need passwords to access your computer, to use ATM, to check mails etc.
Your data and information security depends on the strength and secrecy of your passwords. Online accounts, computer data, and personal information are more secure when you use strong passwords. The strength of the password is usually measure in terms of information entropy. Here let us discuss about how we can make strong passwords, how to check it’s strength and the important tips to remember when we use those passwords.
Related : Password Protecting website Pages and Directories using .htaccess.
Related: Password Revealer – How To Reveal- Show Password Behind Asterisks
Best Ten Tips to Keep Your Passwords Secret and Strong
1.Password Strength and length of password
Length of the password is a crucial factor to make it strong. Very short passwords are not considered as strong primarily because the presence of variety of characters will be less. Passwords should not be less than 5 characters. Ideal password will have 14 characters or more. Strong password usually have 10 or more characters.
2.Password complexity
Password complexity defines the strength of the password. Ideal complex passwords should have letters, punctuation, symbols, and numbers as characters. mixing uppercase and lowercase characters also makes the password strong.
3.Do not use common words , abbreviations or Dictionary words as passwords
If you use common words , abbreviations or Dictionary words as passwords etc as passwords, that makes them weak and easily hackable.
4.Never use personal information as passwords
Using personal information like name or date of birth or a combination of these will not make a strong password. Avoid using them as passwords or part of password.
5.Check your password strength
Once you identify a password, check its strength. Since your information security depends on your password , that needs to be strong. Microsoft Online Safety provides a tool to test your password strength. Check it here.
Also Services such as Gmail also provides password strength indication when you choose a password.
6.If you write passwords down, keep them secure
If you find it difficult to remember you password, you may write it down, but make sure that it is safe, secure and password protected. Do not store passwords on a file in your computer. If you store it then protect the file with maximum security. You can utilize the password manager applications like Lastpass. Read: Best Password Manager to Sync Passwords Across Computers and Browsers.
7.Do not use same password for multiple services
It is better to use different passwords for different services like websites.
8.Do not type passwords on public computer
If you use public computers to access online services then your passwords are at risk. Possibility of presence of keystroke logging software in public computers are more. If you have no other choice then change your password immediately once you get a reliable computer where you have internet access.
9.Beware of phishing scams that steals your online credentials
These days people are getting fraudulent email messages that asks you to send across your credentials. Never get yourself trapped in these online fraud.
10.Use Single-use passwords for services that supports Single-use code
Services such as Hotmail supports single-use code. These services allows you to obtain a single-use code for one time use and can use this code instead of your password.
11.Change your password periodically
Changing your password frequently will reduce the risk of unauthorized access to your personal information. Change your password immediately, if you suspect that your password has been leaked. Even if there is no such chance it is always better to change passwords periodically.
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