The Most Common Misconceptions about Passwords

Passwords have been a part of our lives since the time we have had personal accounts. Most internet-enabled devices have multiple passwords stored on it. These simple combinations of letters and numbers are often the first and last line of defense against unauthorized access. In the days before the proliferation of the internet, someone would have to gain physical access to your device and know your password. However, things have changed now and your device can potentially be accessed remotely in many ways. This has made strong passwords more important than ever before.

Now, there are a number of misconceptions about what exactly makes a strong password. Most people know nowadays that you should not use an obvious password like your son’s birthday. However, there are some good password practices which many people do not yet know. Let’s look at what these are and why they can add extra security to your devices at no cost.

Smart Password Safety Practices You Should Start Using Today

You might be new to this or just unaware, but you have no idea how vulnerable your password is. Most businesses around the world give their employees a certain password to use at work.

However, those same employees use the same password for other accounts outside their company, even though they know better. That’s not all. Studies say that there’s 81% of company data breaches due to poor passwords. Can you feel the heat now? Do you see what’s at stake? If so, follow these tips below to secure your password.

Using Numbers Instead of Letters

Numbers can be a great way for you to secure your account against break-in attempts. Unlike letters, numbers are potentially infinite and using them in specific places in your password can boost its strength. 

In fact, you can find that using numbers and even symbols is now mandatory on most secure access websites. This includes social media like Facebook and Twitter as well as email service providers like Gmail or Yahoo.  

If you use numbers and symbols then even modern codebreaking software will have a hard time accessing them. If the website you want to create an account on has a password strength bar, use it to make a strong one.

Using Custom Sequencing

Many people believe that using simple sequences we are all aware of like QWERTYUI or ABCDEDF makes strong passwords.

This is simply not true. Elementary progression of letters such as these is among the first ways hackers try to break into an account. 

Using these in today’s day and age is like not using a password at all. At the least, they should be modified with numbers and symbols to make them more difficult.

With that said, it is best to avoid using predictable keyboard sequences. 

They may be easy for you to remember but they are easier for professional hackers to guess. And all it takes is one account breach to potentially compromise all accounts linked with that account.

Can’t Create a Good Password? Use This

Oh, by the way, if you have the tendency to create weak passwords, you can always resort to Password Generators. This excellent tool will help you create a strong password that no one can crack. Using our tool, you’ll be able to create a customized, strong, and secure password for each and every one of your accounts.

If that’s not enough, you can test how powerful your password is using our Strong Password Meter. You see, when you use this tool, you’ll know whether the password you submitted is strong or not.

The meter assigns points as to whether your password is strong enough or not. As a user, you might not be very familiar with algorithms. That’s why the meter shows you everything in colors.

It’s easier on the eye and comprehensive to whoever uses it. Just make sure that your password turns out to be Green. After that, you’ve got yourself a decent password. Remember, a Red Password is a big No. Keep adding a variety of symbols, higher-case letters, and numbers to increase its strength.

Using Passphrases

As AI technology and password guessing techniques have arisen, more and more tech-savvy professionals are using passphrases. These are the same thing as password, except they are much longer and are saturated with numbers and symbols. 

This makes them very hard to breach and secures the account more than any standard “8 to 10” character password. Edward Snowden has recommended people should use individual passphrases for each online account they have. 

This minimizes the fallout from a single account breach and at the same time, it secures them against most password guessing attempts.

Using Unique Passwords for Each Account

We all have multiple accounts these days. Some of these will be bank accounts, others will be social media or professional website accounts and some are for online shopping. 

Ideally, you should have different user passwords for all of these. In fact, you should get more complex passwords for your financials and online shopping. 

Direct money fraud from these accounts is much more common. Social media accounts should also be secured using strong passwords. However, they do not usually give hackers access to your account services. 

Rather, they can give insights into your personal and social life. This can be no less dangerous than having your account flushed out. So, using strong passwords all around is a good idea.  

Cyclical Password Use

Another common mistake made by common internet users is that they keep one password for too long. This is a bad idea since your password can be guessed over time. 

For safety, it is always better to keep cycling your passwords. Ideally, you should change your password on an account once every 3 to 6 months. 

You can use one particular password on other accounts as well. However, it is a better idea to simply use new passwords once you have used an old one for some time. This minimizes the chances of anyone guessing your password on this account or any other.

Password Managers

In light of how many different types of passwords we use every day, password managers have become a popular choice. These software tools do offer a number of benefits. However, they can also be a security risk since they can be breached as well. 

For professionals who use many passwords daily, they can be a big benefit. But it is important to ensure they are breach-proof. The best way to do this is to go for paid password managers. They usually have a stronger security framework than free ones. 

Free password managers can do more harm than good. Paid password managers don’t just store all passwords for you but they can also auto-fill forms so you don’t ever have to remember multiple passwords.

Keeping Up with Security News

Cybersecurity is a massive domain of which password strength is only a small part.

If you want to keep your password phrasing and styling up to date, then following cybersecurity news is a good idea. 

Plus, you get to learn other key developments. For example, how to protect your device from keystroke trackers and other trojan malware. These are often used to breach accounts through passwords remotely. Knowing such things can help you enhance your online security.

Avoid Using Multiple Devices

If you’re visiting the library or an internet cafe, try to avoid entering your password on a computer there.

You never know who was in your place before you got there.

A hacker might have installed malware on the PC to harvest your data.

If you want to access your email, keep it private, on YOUR device, no one else’s.

How Should You Create Your Strong Password?

Using strong passwords and passphrases is a good practice. These will help keep your account secure. Following the above policies for your password security will enhance it further. If you want to keep a strong password, then make sure you know the latest and best policies recommended by experts. Be smart and keep your online accounts safe! If you have any questions, you can contact me in the comment section below.