Passwords are the key to your online protection. Thus, it is imperative always to create strong passwords to secure your online integrity.
And it isn’t difficult either. A simple trick is to create unique passwords to remember and avoid the bad habit of using the same login credentials for several accounts.
But, given the plethora of apps and websites people use today, all of which require login credentials, how is it achievable? We hear you ask.
According to LogMeIn, the organization behind the password manager LastPass, if you count all your social networking, streaming, bank accounts, and applications, you might at least have 85 passwords for all your accounts.
On the other hand, weak passwords may have severe implications, such as identity fraud, financial losses, and more. For example, in 2019, businesses announced a record of over 5,000 data breaches that uncovered sensitive data such as home addresses and login credentials that an adversary could exploit to hack your identity or commit fraud.
And that pales to the more than 500 million compromised passwords released since 2017 by hackers on the dark web.
For internet users today, the identity security of a post-password environment isn’t available. So you need to consider deploying the best cybersecurity practices to mitigate the risk of revealing your information in the first place.
Wondering how to create a strong password in 2021 to fend off cyber threats? Or, you may be confused about how to make a strong password for internet banking to keep your finances safe.
Don’t worry. This guide will tell you how to develop the correct passwords for your accounts and be warned if they are broken. You will also discover vital tips to make your logins even more secure.
What makes an unbreakable password?
The absolute minimum that you can follow when constructing passwords that are easy to remember but hard to guess is to follow three rules:
Password lengths: Adhere to passwords that are at least eight characters long. Having more characters in the password is advisable since it takes longer for an intruder to break it. Usually, the ones with ten or more characters are stronger.
Combinations: Using capitalization, pronunciation, percentages, and punctuation combinations makes your passwords unbreakable.
The complexity of passwords: Your password must contain at least one character in any of the following classes:
- Alphabets in lowercase
- Alphabets in upper case
- Symbols
- Miscellaneous characters
- Follow the “8-4 Rule” (Eight Four Rule), that is,
8 = Minimum length of 8 characters.
4 = 1 lower case + 1 upper case + 1 special character + 1 number.
For many, merely obeying the “8 4 Rules” can bring a worthy change. It would automatically improve your passwords even when you do not follow any rules when constructing one.
If the “8 4 Rule” is not enforced in your bank and other financially sensitive website passwords, you should immediately consider updating those passwords from your side to obey the “8 4 Rule.”