Create a strong password to keep you safe online

Passwords can be a huge headache, especially today when we have so many different accounts. However, these are vital to our security and are unlikely to go away anytime soon.

Managing passwords is not easy, everyone manages as best they can; however, there is a serious mistake that most users make. This is to use the same password for several services, many even continue to use passwords that have been compromised.

If you are one of those people who do not have a strong password or use the same one for all services, this article is for you. We are going to delve a little deeper into this problem and we are going to give you some tips to solve this problem.

A large number of people use passwords that have been compromised

According to a report by SpyCloud, about 70% of people often use passwords that have been compromised. Some of these people know it and continue to use them despite the serious security problem that this represents.

For their part, some people do not know if their password has been compromised or not. Information about user accounts is leaked from time to time, this includes phone numbers, names, emails, and, of course, passwords.

If you're not sure if your password has been compromised, there are several ways to help you find out. For example, on the website haveibeenpwned.com, you can find a vast database of leaked information. At the time of this writing, the database counts nearly 12 billion leaked accounts.

If one of your passwords is found in the database, you must stop using it immediately. Otherwise, you will be exposed to a hacker who can access it.

Around 64% of people use the same password for multiple sites at the same time

Using the same password for different services may seem like a good idea to avoid forgetting them. However, it is not at all as far as security is concerned. If your password is leaked, anyone could have access to all your accounts.

That is why the ideal is that all your accounts have different passwords, in this way you will be able to keep them safe. A good way to achieve this is to have a password manager.

You will be able to manage your passwords in a really simple way and without having to remember them, in addition, you will avoid having to repeat them. And this is something extremely beneficial for the security of your accounts and your private information.

How to create a strong password?

If you are one of the people who prefer to keep these passwords in your head or who have a system to not forget them, another thing you should keep in mind is to have a strong password.

Many go out of their way to try to generate a strong password, but this is not necessary. Next, we are going to give you some tips to be able to produce the perfect password.

A good method that can be very useful to create a strong password that you can remember is to create one based on a phrase. Let's take a simple example, suppose you are a fan of the phrase "fight for your dreams".

From this phrase you can create a fairly strong password, the first thing is to take the consonants or vowels and separate them. Suppose you choose the consonants, we would be left with the following: lchprtssñs.

This way we already have the first and most important part of your password. Next, choose a number, ideally, it has a meaning for you. It can be your birthday, your child's, or your anniversary.

For this case we will choose the number 12, the idea is to put it forwards and backward, then we would have that the final result is 1221. We add that to our sentence, it can be at the end of the beginning, in this way, we would have something like this: lchprtssñs1221.

We already have a quite interesting password, so far it is something easy to remember, it is the consonants of your favorite phrase and a number that is important to you. But we are not done yet, we have to make it more difficult.

Now we will add some special characters, whatever you like. For this example, we will use #, $ and? we will add one at the beginning and the rest at the end. We would then have the following result #lchprtssñs1221?$.

Congratulations, you now have a really strong password that they are not going to be able to hack. You can use this same technique to create your other passwords.

We know that having dozens of phrases can become complex, especially if you have to remember them all. If you do not use a password manager, an idea that can help you is instead of using phrases, use the name of the website.

For example, in the case of Webmediums and applying the same example, we would have the following result: #wbmdms1221?$. It may not be the most optimal way to do it, but it can help you to have a password for each site. Also, depending on the name of the site, it may be too short.

Tips to make a strong password

There are some basic tips that you should know to be able to create a truly strong password. Next, we will talk about those things that you should take into account.

• It is at least 12 characters long: You have to choose a password that is long enough. There is no minimum password length that everyone agrees on, but you should generally opt for passwords that are a minimum of 12-14 characters long. A longer password would be even better.

• Includes numbers, symbols, uppercase, and lowercase letters: Uses a mix of different types of characters to make the password more difficult to crack.

• Not a dictionary word or combination of words: Stay away from obvious dictionary words and dictionary word combinations. Any word by itself is bad. A combination of words that are "obvious" is also a very bad idea. For example, "home" is a terrible password. "Red House" is also very bad.

• Don't rely on obvious substitutions: Don't use common substitutions either: for example, “C4sa” isn't strong just because you've substituted a 4 for an a. That's just obvious.

4 tips to stay safe

There are many things you can do to try to keep your accounts safe. However, below, we are going to talk about 4 key tips that you should keep in mind.

If you apply these simple tips, you will be able to prevent third parties from breaking your passwords and accessing your accounts.

1. Fall in love with a password manager

Programs or web services like RoboForm or LastPass, which work on personal computers and mobile devices, allow you to create a different and very strong password for each of your sites. Many browsers, such as Chrome, Safari, and Edge, have free, built-in password managers.

You just have to remember one password to access the secure program or site that stores your passwords for you. Make sure you have a very strong password for your password manager because if it gets compromised it can be used to access all your accounts.

2. Don't fall for phishing attacks

Be very careful before clicking on a link (even if it appears to come from a legitimate site) that asks you to log in, do not enter your password or provide any other personal information.

It may be legitimate or it may be a phishing scam where the information you enter goes to a hacker. If in doubt, start the session manually by typing in the browser window and make sure you're in the right place.

3. Make sure your devices are secure

Malicious programs, such as “keyloggers” that record all keystrokes, have been used to steal passwords and other information. For added security, make sure you're using up-to-date anti-malware software and that your operating system, applications, and browser are up to date.

4. Also use facial or fingerprint recognition for your phone

Most phones can be locked so the only way to use them is to type in a code, usually a string of numbers or maybe a pattern you draw on the screen. Some phones allow fingerprint registration, which is quite secure.

Some apps, especially financial ones, let you open them with a fingerprint or facial scanner. (Your fingerprint or facial scan stays on your phone and is not provided to companies.)