Almost everything is done on the internet nowadays. As a society, we continue to upgrade to the newest technology out there. Most websites use passwords for your security and will continue to use passwords. But what makes a good password and is yours secure enough to ensure your safety?
Every website out there, that wants some type of information from you for a profile or to buy items, wants you to create a ‘sign-in’ which requires a username, usually your email, and a password. This is to ensure security of your profile because you might have personal information on it like your address, social security, card and banking numbers, orders, and much more. It’s imperative to have a password and keep it safe; for your eyes only.
Is your password good enough? Every password between 6-10 characters can be broken into, given patience. “For one thing, the length of a password makes a difference. For every character that is added to a password, the number of possible passwords increases as many as 90 times,” (Henry-Stocker). Make your password as long as you can remember it. “In the last couple of years, the password length recommended by security professionals has gone from eight to twelve characters” (Henry-Stocker). So even most websites are now making the user choose a longer password. The longer the password is, the better.
Making an obvious password is always a reason to not use a family member, friends, or pet’s names for it. Make sure it has at least 12 characters, because remember, the longer, the better. Use a mixture of characters and don’t use obvious words like “Pig” or “Apple” or “Coffee.” Those are too obvious and need to be mixed into more words and characters to be more secure.
Are your passwords safe enough? Long passwords are more secure, but they are harder to remember. Even writing down your passwords can be dangerous and using “…the same password used for multiple websites reduces your security” (Is Your Password).
Luckily there are a couple ways to keep our passwords safe in today’s technological world. According to “6 ways to keep your passwords safe” by Jolie Lee, you can “Use a different password for every website you visit; use a combination of upper case, lower case, numbers and symbols; change your passwords every three months; try a password manager; make sure your computer has an anti-virus program; set up two step log-ins” (Lee). With these 6 ways, you can only increase your security.
As said above, there are several password managers that one can use like “Dashlane, Password Box, and Last Pass,” all are free apps (Lee). The anti-virus programs are also convenient. Use “Avast, Bitdefender, Norton, Webroot, McAfee, and Kaspersky” (Lee). Those of which cost money, but if it is for security then it might be in one’s best interest to get them.
It’s always a helpful idea to keep up with your passwords, as everything is becoming more technical. Again, it’s important to use a mixture of characters, don’t use anything obvious, make it long, and use anti-virus programs such as “McAfee” or “Norton.” To remember your passwords, it’s easy to write them down, but that isn’t so safe, so use password managers like “Dashlane” and “Last Pass.” Keeping your password safe is very important and you will need to keep them safe for your sake.
References
Is Your Password Safe? Learn Why It’s Not. (n.d.). Retrieved May 17, 2017, from https://www.securesafepro.com/articles/is-your-password-safe-learn-why-its-not.html
Lee, J. (2014, May 22). 6 ways to keep your passwords safe. Retrieved May 17, 2017, from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2014/05/22/password-protection-cybersecurity-ebay/9432075/
Henry-Stocker, S. (2012, April 29). What makes a good password? Retrieved May 17, 2017, from http://www.computerworld.com/article/2725830/security/what-makes-a-good-password-.html
