These days we arrange just about everything online, so too in our work. We use an infinite number of tools to get our work done. And almost every tool requires a different strong password. That's why it's so important to use a strong password just now. But today this results in dozens of passwords, all of which must also be strong. With that, you run the risk of forgetting passwords. In this article, we will discuss practical tips to avoid this and still use strong passwords.
When is a password strong
A password is strong if cracking it takes more time than it yields. This is the case when a cybercriminal has to make too many attempts to figure out the password. The number of attempts needed depends on the password space. This is the total number of possible passwords.
Password space is determined by several factors, including:
- Password length: the longer the password, the larger the password space.
- Complexity of characters: using different types of characters (uppercase, lowercase, numbers, special characters) also increases the password space.
A password with a large password space is generally considered stronger than one with a smaller password space. It is important that users choose strong, unique passwords to ensure the security of their accounts.
Diceware method
'Diceware' is a method of generating strong passwords. With this, your password consists of multiple words rather than letters and symbols. To generate your password, you roll a dice a number of times and put all the rolls in sequence to get one number. You look this number up in a word list, which can be found online. You do this several times and these words then make up your password. You can also do the diceware method online with a diceware password generator.
Passwords generated using the diceware method generally contain fewer elements. This makes them easier to remember. Instead of 10 or more characters, you only need to remember a few words. A tip for remembering the order of the words is to make a sentence with the words.
Password Phrases
If you have a hard time remembering random words, you can also turn it around. Then start with a story or sentence. The advantage of this is that a running sentence is easier to remember. You can make up this sentence yourself or it can be an existing sentence, such as from a book.
However, you do sacrifice randomness with this method. If the phrase is logical, it provides opportunities for a criminal to predict the phrase or include it in a list of "passwords to try. So familiar proverbs, phrases or song lyrics are not suitable as passwords.
If you choose a running passphrase, make sure the passphrase is extra long.
Password safes
Nowadays, we are asked to log in several times daily and each time we have to use a strong password. Reusing a password or sticking it to your screen on a post-it is not an option. Fortunately, there are so-called password safes for that these days. Password safes are software applications designed to help users manage and store their various passwords in a secure manner.
A password vault offers even more advantages. A password vault has the functionality to quickly create completely random, and therefore strong, passwords. This eliminates the need to make up your own passwords.
The password safe itself also protects you with a password. This "master password" must meet the strictest requirements. For this you can use, for example, the diceware method with at least 8 words. But for even more protection, enable multi-factor authentication. This is a technique where a system uses two different authentication factors to gain access, such as a text message or an app. There are several systems for this, such as Google Authenticator, LastPass or Microsoft Authenticator.
Strong passwords now more important than ever
We need a new password for every account, and every time it needs to be a strong password. With all the data online today, it is more important than ever to use strong passwords. But even with the use of strong passwords, your passwords are still vulnerable to cyber criminals. Therefore, combine passwords with authentication tools. This will ensure even better protection.
Do's
Use lowercase, uppercase, numbers, special characters and spaces and keep a minimum of 12 characters
Use a different password for each platform
Change your passwords regularly (at least once a year)
Use methods such as the diceware method or password phrases to establish passwords
Use a password vault and always protect it with multi-factor authentication
Don'ts
Stick cheat sheet with passwords on computer screen
Putting personal information in your passwords
Sharing your passwords with others
Using number sequences or obvious words