Whenever a new hack hits the news, everyone starts warily eyeing their accounts and wondering if they really know how to build a strong password. Sure, your digital stuff seems secure–but how do you know that your passwords will protect you from the next big hacker targeting credit cards or hotel management systems?
Fortunately, there are concrete steps you can take to protect yourself. I break down how to build a strong password below–with two common pitfalls to avoid, and one strategy to try.
Avoid: Common letter/number substitutions.
When you’re creating a password for a new account, some systems require you to use a number or a special symbol. But if you’re using:
- 3 to replace E
- $ to replace S
- 1 to replace I or L
- 4 or @ to replace A
- 8 to replace B
- 0 to replace O
…or any other common replacements, you’re not doing yourself any favors. Hackers know to look for these, so you’re not making your password any more secure; you’re just making it harder for you to remember.
Avoid: References to your hobbies, birthday, phone number, etc.
Let’s say you’re a huge fan of the Jets, born in 1984…and your password is JetsFan84. Anyone paying close attention could easily guess your password–which means it’s not keeping your information particularly secure.
This isn’t suggesting that one of your trusted coworkers or neighbors would want to hack your accounts. But this info doesn’t have to be passed via Happy Hour drinks, especially because so much of our personal information is online these days.
Take a few minutes to look at your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest profiles. If you have a blog or an online business, look through that. Ask yourself, if a stranger were looking at this, would they know:
- The hobbies/interests that are most important to me?
- The name of my hometown (and possibly high school, and/or favorite teacher)?
- The names of my kids or pets?
- My business/company name and/or job title?
I’m not trying to scare you into NOT sharing your life online. But just make sure that your passwords don’t reference anything that you’re telling the world about!
For example, if you’re always posting Instagram stories about your dog Lola, your password shouldn’t be “LolasMom.”
If you recently posted a picture celebrating your 35th birthday on, say, May 6, 2018, your password shouldn’t be “05061983.”
If you’re a proud owner of a stationery business called Paper Babe, based out of Brooklyn and opened in 2004, your password shouldn’t be BklynPaperBabe04.
You get the idea.
Instead, Do This: Come up with something that makes no sense to you.
The reason people tend to use their hobbies/interests/life details to make passwords is because it makes them easier to remember. So how can you come up with a password that will protect you, but be impossible to (easily) trace back to you and your life?
Aim for a phrase made of up of 3-7 random common words. (If you’re interested, here’s a comic that explains why this works.) You’re also welcome to supplement the phrase with uncommon symbols like the tilde key (~), the percent sign (%), or a bracket ({).
Ways To Generate A Random Phrase:
- Pick 3-7 random words from the dictionary.
- Use a password generator.
- Assign letter values to numbers 1-6 (i.e. A=1, B=2, etc.) and roll some dice 3-7 times. Record the values and corresponding letters, and then for each letter, write down the first word that comes to mind.
- Write down words you see on the next 5 billboards you pass. Pick out 1-2 words from each billboard.
Play around with it. But the key, again, is that it doesn’t directly lead back to your interests.
With these tips, you’ll have a much better grasp on how to build a strong password–which means you can sleep soundly, knowing your info is safe from hackers.
If you liked this blog post, check out my recent guest appearance on Copy That Pops, a podcast where Laura Petersen helps business-minded folks leverage the power of persuasion in their communication. In the episode, I talk about pirate psychology, password strength, andso much more. Give it a listen!
Photo credit: Markus Spiske//Chris Ried