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How To Create A Secure Password

Stop Hackers And Identity Thieves In Their Tracks - Create A Secure Password


Passwords are something we encounter every single day of our lives, yet few of us think much about. Sure, you occasionally forget your password and have to go through a cumbersome reset process, but you mostly remember the simple string of characters you’ve created and don’t spend a whole lot of time thinking about it beyond that. Maybe you should, though.

Why Secure Passwords Matter

The password is like the deadbolt lock to the front door of your house. You can have a bunch of other security mechanisms in place — many of them more sophisticated — but they won’t do a thing if an intruder can simply pick the lock and run inside to quickly grab what he wants.

How secure is your deadbolt? Can someone stick a little wire into the lock and force it open, or does it stand up to the toughest and most advanced attacks? If you haven’t spent much time thinking about password security, chances are pretty good that your password is vulnerable to outside attacks.

Consider that, at the end of 2016, Keeper Security conducted a study in which they analyzed more than 10 million passwords available on the public web. Using this data, they compiled a list of the top 25 passwords. According to the report, the top five most common passwords — which account for a large percentage of total passwords — include 123456, 123456789, qwerty, 12345678, and 111111.

Things don’t get much better after the top five. Other passwords on the list include: password, 123123, 555555, 777777, and google. And all of the passwords just mentioned in this article can be cracked in less than one second. Specifically, BetterBuys claims they can be cracked in .25 milliseconds with machines that cost less than $1,000.

To make things even worse, additional research from Password Boss shows that 59 percent of people reuse passwords because they’re too difficult to remember.

“The results from the survey indicate that, in general, consumers are very passive and somewhat contradictory when it comes to the management of their online account passwords, despite the increasingly large and disruptive impact that data breaches have on consumers’ lives,” says Password Boss CEO Steve Wise. “The fact that most consumers really have no system to manage their accounts other than memory or pen and paper suggests these methods are easier than any tool available.”

It may have been true a couple of years ago that password tools and managers were complicated and difficult to use, but things have changed. Newer technologies are highly intuitive and — when combined with other smart practices — can help internet users stay safe online. And just as there's a safe way to watch porn (or at least a good VPN to use), there's a right and a wrong way to generate a new password.

Tips And Best Practices

Tools like password generators and managers are highly useful, but before highlighting some of the top ones, it’s imperative that you develop a strong foundation by understanding some key principles. There are certain password tips and best practices you need to be following, regardless of the tools and resources you have access to. Check them out:

1. Stop Using Obvious Passcodes

You’ve seen truck boxes before, right? You know, the silver or black boxes that go in a truck bed and sit up against the backside of the cab. Most people buy these truck boxes at a big box store and the biggest problem is that the little locks are standardized. For any given brand, there might only be five different locks. So, if you park your truck in a parking lot and someone pulls up next to you with the same truck box, there’s a 20 percent chance that they can open your box and take whatever they want. That’s not a risk you’re comfortable with, is it?

If you’re using one of the five or ten most common passwords for your online accounts, there’s a greater than 20 percent chance that anyone — not just someone who has physical access to your device — can hack into your account.

If you want to prevent unnecessary hacks and attacks, the best thing you can do is stop using obvious passcodes. Just like a truck owner should have his truck box’s standard lock changed out for a unique one, you should swap out your generic password for one that can’t easily be guessed or cracked in a matter of seconds.

2. Aim for Length Over Complexity

A lot of the talk surrounding password integrity has to do with complexity. Many websites require people to use a combination of uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. And while this is certainly good, the length of your password actually has more to do with security than character complexity.

“A longer password is usually better than a more random password, as long as the password is at least 12-15 characters long,” says Mark Burnett, author of Perfect Passwords. “Usually all it takes is a password just two characters longer to make up for a lack of other types of characters such as upper-case, numbers, or symbols.”

And if you do choose to use other types of characters, don’t just put them at the beginning or the end (which is most common). Try to space them out and include them in the middle, which makes it more difficult to predict.

3. Change Passwords (When Appropriate)

People hate changing passwords. If you’re like most, you’ll do anything to keep the same password for months or years at a time. In fact, according to the Password Boss research, most people don’t even change their passwords after news about an online breach. When asked why, 40 percent of those polled said they only change their password if it’s required. More than one out of every three people believe their passwords are already strong and secure. Roughly 26 percent of people only change passwords for accounts that contain sensitive financial information.

You definitely don’t want to change your passwords every month — which some industry experts call for. While it sounds good on paper, changing passwords that frequently almost always ends up in forgotten passwords or lazily adding a single number or character onto the end of the original passcode. However, you should change your passwords when extenuating circumstances call for it.

4. Use Two-Factor Authentication When Available

No matter how long, complex, or unique your password is, there’s always a chance that it could end up in the wrong hands. This is why it’s highly beneficial to add another layer of security in the form of a two-factor authentication setup.

Two-factor authentication requires the person accessing the account to not only have the password, but also a specific device (smartphone) or additional password-restricted resource (email account). The objective is to cut down on remote hacks, which are most common.

The Best Password Generators

Once you have a strong and stable foundation for your passwords, you’re free to use some additional tools and resources to reinforce your security. The first class of tools to consider are password generators. They help you generate secure passwords that are difficult for even machines and advanced algorithms to hack. Here are a few of the best password generators currently available:

Norton Identity Safe 

The biggest draw to this tool is the name: Norton. Most people feel comfortable entrusting Norton with their passwords and this tool is pretty easy to use. It can generate up to 50 unique passwords with a single click.

Norton Identity Safe Password Generator

Strong Password Generator 

This tool doesn’t take passwords lightly. It lets you choose any presets you want — including password length and types of characters allowed — and then delivers one custom password at a time. They tend to be highly complex.

Strong Password Generator


This tool is simple to use, yet highly effective. It has a lot of different features to customize your password generation and will even tell you how strong a given password is.


The Top Password Managers

It’s also smart to use a password manager, which stores all of your passwords so that you don’t have to remember them. This allows you to create even lengthier and more complex combinations without the risk of forgetting them. Here are the best solutions:


You can’t beat LastPass. Not only does it have the broadest support for different devices and browsers, but its auto fill feature is a really nice touch. There’s even an “Emergency Access” feature that enables you to give immediate access to someone in a special situation.



There are a lot of satisfied 1Password users online. In addition to all of the standard password manager features, 1Password also offers team and family accounts, which make it easy to selectively share passwords with other members.



One of the best things about Dashlane is that it has a combination of cloud service and local password management features. You can choose if you want to store passwords locally (not synchronize with the cloud), or vice versa. Depending on your preference, this may make you feel better.


Take passwords for granted at your own risk. You wouldn’t buy a cheap lock for your front door and then store your most precious and expensive items inside. So why would you protect important accounts with flimsy passcodes? It’s time to step up and finally prioritize your online security once and for all.


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