How to Create a Strong Password and Never Forget It
Passwords that are very easy to guess (like “123456” and “qwerty” which, by the way, are among the most popular password choices in the world) are called weak because it will take a cybercriminal mere seconds to crack them. Secret phrases like “MilesDavis” and “RingsOfSaturn” are really no better because anyone who knows your hobbies and interests will be able to guess them in no time at all. So, it is a strong password that you need to use to reliably protect your information.
A strong password is one that:
- Consists of at least 12 characters
- Uses upper- and lower-case letters, digits, punctuation marks, and special symbols (like % and *)
- Is unique (no one uses it except you) and random (there is no discernible pattern in the way the elements of your combination are placed).
Still, creating a strong password is one thing, and keeping it in mind is quite another. So, how do you remember your secret combinations?
Strong Password Ideas
List of methods for not forgetting your log-in sequences can be very long. All of these ideas are based on mnemonics, i.e. certain gimmicks that help you remember the unrememberable. Among other things you can:
- Replace every letter in a phrase with the one that follows it in the alphabet (I like apples = J mklf bqqmft)
- Replace each word of your favorite poem or song with its first letter (Mary had a little lamb, whose fleece was white as snow. = Mhall,wfwwas.)
- Swap your vowels: replace ‘a’ with ‘o’ and ‘o’ with ‘a’ — and so on. This method works best with phases that have no meaning (How doth the little crocodile = Haw dath thi lettli cracadeli)
- Delete the first 2 or 3 letters in every word of a phrase — once again, nonsense phrases are a considerably better choice (All mimsy were the borogoves = l msy re e rogoves)
Unfortunately, all strong password ideas on the list have one important disadvantage: they are truly awkward to type in and considerably slow you down. Every time you have to fill out a log-in form you find yourself staring into space mentally deleting the first two letters from every world of a nonsense phrase (and woe betide you if you miss or forget a single one of these stupid words!). What’s more, all these combinations are based on some pattern and whether they are truly random is really an open question.
Passwarden – strong passwords that you don’t have to learn by rote!
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Passwarden is also available as a part of the MonoDefense software bundle.
Random Password Generators – One Giant Leap
There is no better way to create a log-in combination that is truly random and 100% unique than to use software random password generators. These programs have no irrational preferences and quirks that are typical of people: every letter, every digit, every special symbol and every punctuation mark have absolutely equal chances of appearing in your password.
The only viable way for cyber criminals to crack such a sequence is to brute-force it (i.e. check all possible combinations). The larger the number of symbols that can be used for a password and the greater the length of your log-in sequence, the more time it will take hackers to crack it. It is estimated that a truly random and unique sequence that is 17 characters long can be brute-forced using a high-end computer in as many as 9 million years — which makes it, for all intents and purposes, hackproof.
Alas, it looks like we’ve made a full circle: mnemonic ideas from the list above are cumbersome and of dubious uniqueness while truly unique random-generated combinations are too difficult to remember. It looks like you can't have your cake and eat it. Or does it?
Passwarden Offers You a Helping Hand
Passwarden is a user-friendly password manager that can be tasked with creating strong combinations, storing them in an encrypted vault and then using them for filling out various forms for you. It frees you from the need to rack your brains trying to memorize unmemorable sequences and you will never have a mental collapse having discovered that a piece of paper you write all your passwords on is lost — or, worse, stolen.
What’s more, Passwarden features numerous additional — and extremely useful — functions like:
Secure password sharing
Sharing your secret combinations is easy and absolutely safe with our trusted password manager.
Cross-device synchronization
Synchronizing your private data between an unlimited number of digital devices using only 1 account.
Reliable storage
Storing text information of any type(credentials, documents, ID, driver's license, etc.) in secure Vaults
The list of operating systems Passwarden can be paired up with leaves out not a single popular platform. You can install it on Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS; what’s more, this program can be used as a browser extension for your Edge, Firefox, Chrome, and Opera — or simply as a web app.
You don’t have to pay a cent to get first-hand experience of using Passwarden as there is a free version of the application.
Although it lacks some of the features of the fully functional version (like, you will only be able to use it on a single device and it does not support password sharing), this free application is sure to greatly improve your security while also saving you a lot of time, not to mention mental pain.
Passwarden – the best strong password idea on your list
Easy to download and even easier to use!