Tip #4551 - Secure Passwords
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Secure
Passwords
Another reader
asks: So many programs and Web sites require me to have complex
passwords. I feel like I have to write them down to remember them,
but that doesn't seem safe either. Is there any way to make a complex
password I won't forget?
That is a great
question! It does seem like password requirements get more and more
difficult to meet as the need for better security continues to climb
in the computer world. Most Web sites these days require you to have
a password with at least eight characters, while one of those characters
must be a number or a symbol and there must be at least one capital
letter. Gee whiz!
Although there
are a lot of requirements to meet, I am going to add a few more suggestions
for you. In order for a password to be truly secure, there should
be no words of any kind in the password. It shouldn't simply be a
word with a number at the end and you shouldn't just capitalize the
first letter of the password. If you do, your password could be cracked
within seconds!
So, you ask, “How
in the world can I come up with a password I can remember with all
of these requirements?” Well, there is a very good way to do
this! It will allow you to come up with a password that is easy to
remember and you can even write down a hint, without giving the password
away on paper. Are you interested?
Then here's how
to do it!
First, come up
with a word. It can be something like a pet's name, a city or anything
else you want to use. For my example, I will use my hometown of Toledo.
Second, find some
characters you can use to replace some of the letters. I will replace
“o” with “0” and “l” with “1.”
So, now I have T01ed0.
Third, since Toledo
is only six characters, I will need to add some more characters. I
will add "AB." This makes my password T01ed0AB.
Now, this is a
secure password, but it may be kind of hard to remember. So, to help
you remember your password, you can write down a hint. The hint will
be just enough to jog your memory, but not enough to give the password
away. For the hint, write something you will remember the word by,
plus the extra characters and the replacement characters.
Here's how I would
write my hint for T01ed0AB: City 01AB
That way, you
know the password is the name of a city, the replacement characters
are 0 and 1 and the extra characters are AB. That should be enough
to remind you of your password, but not enough for someone else to
guess what it is. Cool, huh?!
Until next time,
stay safe out there, my friends!
~ Gary
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