Are you curious about how to secure my password from being compromised? Do you want to learn how to create complex passwords: The purpose of the article is to explore tips and techniques to protect your password.
Every 39 seconds, hackers are trying to hack and gather your personal information for their monetary gain. according to the University of Maryland. You should assume that you will eventually get hacked too. Even though I have been hacked a few times already. Since then, I have put more security measures in place and I haven’t heard from the hackers again.
What is a Password? How to Generate a Secure Password
A password is a sequence of letters, numbers, and symbols that you use to protect your account and personal data. Unfortunately, in this day and age, people are still using simple passwords that can be hacked in minutes today with a fast enough computer.
According to SplashData, the top ten passwords used are:
- 123456
- 123456789
- qwerty
- password
- 1234567
- 12345678
- 12345
- iloveyou
- 111111
- 123123
A lot of people use their kids, dogs, and spouses\’ names as their passwords so they can remember it. If you do, it is easy for a hacker to gain access to your accounts. I highly recommend avoiding just a name in your password. A name in a combination with other characters could work if done properly.
Generating a secure password is not an easy task. There are two lines of thinking when it comes to passwords.
One line of thinking is to follow these tips:
– Use a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters
– Use at least one number in your password
– Use at least one symbol in your password
There is another line of thinking about passwords that are promoted by Kevin Mitnick. Kevin Mitnick, a well-respected security expert, recommends a password that uses a phrase over 30 characters with a mixture of numbers, letters, and special characters. Here is a video for you from him explaining his approach to password creation.
Every year technology improves so does the time to hack passwords. I have reviewed a lot of the sites that say how long it takes to crack a password but I am not sure how accurate they are. Knowing that you can practically launch a supercomputer online hacking passwords takes hours and maybe days. I don\’t believe most of these sites\’ estimates.
Some Tips to Secure your Password from Hackers
Here are some tips for you to consider to secure your passwords.
Tip #1. Use a different password for each account and make sure that they are strong and difficult to guess.
Tip #2. Create a new, strong password every time you sign up for an account.
Tip #3. Don\’t share your passwords with anyone.
Tip #4. Don\’t write down your passwords anywhere.
Tip #5. Use a password manager to manage all your passwords
Use a Password Manager to Manage Your Different Passwords
If you follow the tips above, I don’t know about you but I cannot remember all those passwords myself. The older I get it is difficult to remember one password sometimes. So, I suggest you use password managers such as LastPass, which I have been using for many years.
Password managers are an essential tool for securing your online accounts. They store all your passwords in one place and allow you to access them with one master password.
Password managers are available for both desktop and mobile devices, so you can use the same password manager across all your devices. The best password managers offer protection against phishing attacks, keyloggers, and other malware that could compromise your personal information.
Use Two-Factor Authentication to Add a Layer of Protection
If you assume that your passwords will be compromised which could be out of your control, you can use two-factor authentication to give you another layer of protection from attacks.
Two-factor authentication is a security measure that requires two different forms of identification to log in. The first factor is usually a password or PIN, and a second factor is an object such as a key, card or code.
Examples of Password Managers to Assist You in Managing Your Password
Here are some examples of commercial password managers on the market:
LastPass
LastPass is a password manager that helps you organize all your passwords, logins, and personal information in one secure place. It\’s available for all major browsers and has browser extensions so you can log in to sites without having to remember your password. It also features the ability to generate strong passwords for every website or service you use.
DashLane
Dashlane Password Manager is a convenient way to store all of your important information in one place. This program stores all of your passwords, bank account info, credit card numbers, and other private information in a secure vault. In addition to storing personal data securely, Dashlane Password Manager also provides features such as auto-fill and auto-save which make the process of logging into unfamiliar sites easier and more efficient
NordPass
NordPass is an award-winning password management solution that protects and secures your passwords, photos, and all your personal data.
Keeper
Keeper Password Manager is the only password manager that allows users to store their password, credit card, and other user data in one place. Keeper Password Manager is a comprehensive solution that provides the security consumers need for themselves and their families.
Conclusion
In this article, we explored how to secure your password from being compromised. Unfortunately, with daily data breaches, it is difficult to completely protect your passwords. But, I have provided some tips on how you can do this and also how to manage all your passwords. Please do not simple passwords like names or a series of numbers. Those are very easy to crack by hackers today and sometimes take minutes to do so.
Thank you for reading. If you have any comments or questions, please let me know below and I will get back to you as quickly as I can.
