Create Strong Passwords
Check out these five principles for creating strong passwords.
| Principle | How to Do It |
|---|---|
| Length | Use at least ten characters. |
| Strength | Mix it up with upper- and lowercase letters, characters, and numbers. |
| Obscurity | Use nothing that’s associated with you, your family, your company, and so on. |
| Protection | Don’t place paper reminders near your laptop. |
| Change | The more sensitive the information, the more frequently you should change your password. |
Look at this table for examples of password patterns that are safe but also easy to remember. Keep in mind: Just use these examples for inspiration; don’t use any of them as your real password.
| Logic | Password |
|---|---|
| Use a familiar phrase typed with a variation of capitalization and numbers instead of words (text message shorthand). |
L8r_L8rNot2day = Later, later, not today 2BorNot2B_ThatIsThe? = To be or not to be, that is the question. |
| Incorporate shortcut codes or acronyms. | CSThnknAU2day = Can’t Stop Thinking About You today 2Hot2Hndle = Too hot to handle |
| Create a password from an easy-to-remember phrase that describes what you’re doing, with key letters replaced by numbers or symbols. |
1mlook1ngatyahoo = I’m looking at Yahoo (Replace the Is with 1s.) MyWork@HomeNeverEnds |
| Spell a word backwards with at least one letter representing a character or number. |
$lidoffaD = Daffodils (The $ replaces the s.) y1frettuB = Butterfly (The 1 replaces the l.) QWERTY7654321 = This is the six letters from left to right in the top row of your keyboard, plus the numbers from right to left across the top going backwards. |
| Use patterns from your keyboard. Make your keyboard a palette and make any shape you want. |
Typing 1QAZSDRFBHU8 is really just making a W on your keyboard. |
It’s a good idea to password-protect your laptop. That way, if it’s left running in a public place, or lost or stolen, nobody else can log on to access the information on it.