There were simpler times when passwords were only preventative measures to keep the people around you in the real world from accessing your personal devices. That was before the internet blew up, before we had to start worrying about the whole “hacking” thing.
Unfortunately, nowadays things are far more complicated. Some places online require that you change your password regularly, and that’s even becoming more commonplace than you might think.
Passwords can’t be something silly like qwerty or 1234. The reason being those are the easiest to guess, but even if you did use something random and virtually impossible to determine, hackers now have access to different software that they can use to easily crack not so strong passwords. To cyber-criminals it’s just a guessing game, they have software that can run through every possible combination of letters and numbers in no time. That said, the longer and more complex your password is, the longer it would take to crack.
Basically, all of this stuff has gotten really complicated and somewhat convoluted, but if you’ve read this far you’re probably interested in how to further secure your accounts from the likes of hackers – and we have a few tips for that!
A fun practice to integrate into your password creation is telling a story. For instance, “I live at 4122 Elm Drive have five children, a girl, two boys, and three dogs and a loving wife,” could look something like @4122C5gbd&W. Or for instance your dog Rex is twelve years old and your cat Fluffy only has three legs, your password could look like Re12Fluff3.
One of our favorite methods is using an old address of yours. It’s something you’ll always remember and it’s not the easiest to guess either. Something like @123AnyStreet, or 987Broadway! would work perfectly.
Another method of creating a strong password is to use a verse from your favorite song. For instance, “The wheels on the bus go round and round,” that you loved when you were six could be, Wotbgr&r6yo. Or say that the eighties hit “Africa” by Toto really gets your foot tapping, you can use something like 80sIbtrdiA! .
These are just a few simple strategies that will help you to create a secure password. If you need any help creating a password or have questions about computer security give your friends at No Ware Computer Repair a call at (970) 433-7454.