How to Make Passwords Strong, Complex and Hard to Guess

In our previous topic on strong authentication, we discussed ways to make the security of your online accounts as strong as possible through strong account authentication.

Part of strong authentication includes using strong passwords, as the more difficult your password is to guess, the lower the likelihood is that you will fall victim to malicious actors attempting to break in to your accounts or devices.

We clarified that passwords should:

• be at least 10 characters
• include upper-case and lower-case letters
• and include numbers and symbols

Strong passwords should be consistently recreated and never re-used, and it can be useful to adopt a method to creating your strong passwords, instead of identifying memorable information and simply mixing in a few symbols and numbers. Below are four methods you may use to ensure you are using strong passwords for all of your accounts and devices.

1. Use a passphrase rather than a password

Instead of choosing a word, pick a phrase and take the first letters, numbers and punctuation from that phrase to generate a seemingly random combination of characters. You can even substitute the first letter of a word with a number or symbol to make it even more secure. For example:

‘My first trip to Gisenyi was in 2003 and I’ve never forgotten it’ becomes M1t2GwIn23&|nfI

2. Combine random words from the dictionary into a random sequence

Choose a few random words from a dictionary and combine them along with numbers and symbols to produce a random phrase. Here are some examples of good password ideas created with this method:

• Jigsaw, quest, trait, fork: Jigsaw%Quest7trait/fork48
• Glimpse, stuff, prize, koala: G1impse$tuff74Prize8Koala!
• Trombone, fish, quick, upside: Tr0mb0ne&Fish?Qu1ck^side

3. Use a password generator

A password generator is a quick and easy way to get a unique and strong password. A password generator will create a sequence of random characters which you can copy and use for any of your devices or online accounts.

4. Adapt phrases and quotes

If you want a password that’s difficult for others to guess, but easy for you to remember, it can be a good idea to use a variation on a meaningful phrase or quote. Take a phrase you’ll remember and swap out some of the letters for numbers and symbols, for example:

‘One for all and all for one: The Three Musketeers’ becomes ‘14A&A413Mu$keteers!’.

Ensuring you have strong passwords for all of your accounts and devices will not guarantee complete protection of your accounts, but it will make it as difficult as possible for malicious actors to gain entry.