Elements of a Strong Password

How to Create a Strong Password That You Can Remember

So here you are, knowing that you need a strong password, but how are you supposed to remember *Dsq#}3frP and 17 other uniquely random passwords for all your various accounts?

The answer is that you can use some personal information that will be easy for you to remember but difficult for others to guess. Here is how:

This is a very strong password, nearly impossible to guess, but relatively easy for you to remember.

Additional Password Tips

Here are some additional tips and considerations for passwords:

• Do not reuse passwords . If at all possible, try to use a unique password for each of your accounts. If you only have one or two password-protected accounts, this should not be too hard. If you have several, however, it might be difficult to remember them all, even with the technique covered earlier. Consider writing them down in a safe place (but see the next tip).

• Do not write your passwords down unless you can keep them safe . Most password advice says that you should never write down a password. We think this is a good guideline, but quite frankly most of us have 20 or more accounts. It is better to have a unique password for each account and to write them down somewhere, rather than creating a single password that you use on all your accounts. Here's the trick though: If you write down your passwords, keep them secured in a locked cabinet or safe . In your desk drawer or taped under your keyboard are all bad places for a written list of passwords. In a wallet, purse, or backpack is even worse . There are also programs such as Password Corral that allow you to store all of your passwords in a password-protected file on your PC. This way you only need to commit one password to memory. You can also write down the sentence if you used the method in the example earlier (My sister Joanne …); just remember your conversion rules and you can easily re-obtain your password.

• Avoid using your passwords on public computers . Even if the remember-password function is turned off, there could be a keystroke logger or other hacking tool that someone has installed. Anything you type could be collected and used against you.

• Never enable the remember-password option in Windows or Internet browsers . Even if you are using a computer that no one else uses, do not use this option. (This should be doubly obvious if you are using a shared computer.) Having this option turned on may be convenient , but if you ever lose your laptop (or if it is stolen), someone can easily check all the sites recently visited with your browser and get easy access to all your private information.

• Never share your password with anyone . If you do, change it right away.

• Never send your password in an e-mail . This is especially the case if you receive an e-mail asking for your account information even if the e-mail looks legitimate . (See Chapter 7, "Tip 7: Recognize and Avoid Phishing Scams.")

• Change your password periodically . Some experts advocate changing your passwords every three months. For most accounts, this is a bit much, especially if you create strong passwords such as the one shown earlier. A more realistic period is every six months or so. Never go more than a year with any password, and just so you know, rotating passwords among different accounts does not count as changing a password. Use the technique presented earlier and start from scratch. If you think you have been hacked, change all your passwords immediately.