A Password by any other name

Choosing passwords can be tricky business. You want something that’s easy to remember, but complicated enough that somebody couldn’t guess it. There’s a few tips and tricks you can use to help you keep your files and emails password protected. It’s prudent to choose a password that meets a few criteria that we’ll go through in this blog post.

Passwords should be 8 – 10 characters long. Shorter passwords are easier to crack. The longer your password is, the harder it becomes for someone to access your information. Using a password like ‘0000’ might be easy to remember, but it’s commonly used and people trying to access your information know this.

Try to use a combination of letters and numbers. Using a combination of characters will help make it much harder for people to guess your password. A good tactic is to use numbers that look like particular letters. For example, use ‘4’ instead of ‘A’ , ‘0’ instead of ‘O,’ ’3’ instead of ‘E’ or ‘5’ instead of ‘S’ in words that you might remember. For example, 54ndW1ch3s would read ‘sandwiches.’ Some websites will set a particular standard for the lenght and content of passwords, so they are secure.

Use something memorable. Don’t be afraid to use names or places in your passwords, just as long as they’re not too obvious, like your own name. Use something only you would know, like which street you grew up on or the name of your first pet. Using words like these can help cue your memory in case you forget.

Can you think of any other tactics you use to make secure passwords?