Category: Technology
Creating & Managing Strong Passwords
Passwords protect some of the most important parts of your digital life. Your email, banking, shopping accounts, photos, social media, medical portals, school accounts, and cloud storage may all depend on a password to keep someone else from getting in.
The problem is that most people have far more accounts than passwords they can realistically remember. That often leads to shortcuts: using the same password everywhere, choosing something easy to guess, or keeping passwords somewhere that isn’t secure.
You don’t need to memorize dozens of complicated strings of random characters. A better approach is to create strong, unique passwords for your important accounts and use tools that help you manage them safely.
What Makes a Password Strong?
A strong password should be difficult for another person or computer to guess.
In general, strong passwords are:
- Long
- Unique to one account
- Difficult to predict
- Not based on obvious personal information
Length is especially important.
A longer password or passphrase is generally harder to guess than a short password, even when the short password contains a complicated collection of symbols.
What Is a Passphrase?
A passphrase is a password made from several words rather than one short word.
For example, instead of creating something short and predictable, you might combine several unrelated words into a much longer phrase.
The exact format depends on the requirements of the account.
Passphrases can be useful because they’re:
- Long
- Easier to remember
- Difficult to guess when the words are unrelated
Don’t use examples from this guide as actual passwords.
Once a password has been published as an example, it isn’t a good secret anymore.
Longer Is Usually Better
You may have learned that a password needs to look something like:
P@$$w0rd!
The problem is that predictable substitutions don’t necessarily make a weak password strong.
Attackers know that people replace:
A with @
S with $
O with 0
Simply adding a symbol to a short, predictable word isn’t enough.
When an account allows it, focus on creating a long, unique password or passphrase.
Every Important Account Should Have a Different Password
One of the most important password habits is avoiding password reuse.
Don’t use the same password for:
- Banking
- Shopping
- Social media
- Work
- School
Why?
Because companies sometimes experience data breaches.
If your password from one website becomes exposed and you use that same password elsewhere, someone may try it on your other accounts.
One stolen password can suddenly become the key to several doors.
Your Email Password Is Especially Important
Your email account deserves particularly strong protection.
Why?
Because email is often used to reset passwords for your other accounts.
If someone gains access to your email, they may be able to request password resets for:
- Shopping accounts
- Social media
- Financial services
- Cloud storage
- Other online accounts
Use a strong, unique password for your primary email account and enable additional security protections when available.
Avoid Personal Information
Don’t create passwords based on information someone could easily learn about you.
Avoid things such as:
- Your name
- Birthday
- Address
- Phone number
- Child’s name
- Pet’s name
- School
- Favorite sports team
- Anniversary
- Graduation year
Much of this information may be available online or known by people around you.
Avoid Common Passwords
Passwords such as:
password
password123
123456
qwerty
letmein
are extremely weak.
Adding your birth year or an exclamation point doesn’t transform them into strong passwords.
Attackers don’t have to sit at a keyboard personally guessing one password at a time. Automated tools can rapidly try common passwords and predictable variations.
Don’t Create One “Password Formula” for Everything
Some people try to create a reusable system.
For example, they use the same basic password and change one small part depending on the website.
That may feel safer than using exactly the same password everywhere, but it can still be predictable.
If someone discovers the pattern, they may be able to figure out passwords for other accounts.
Unique passwords are safer.
What Is a Password Manager?
A password manager is a tool designed to securely store and manage passwords.
Instead of remembering a different password for every account, you primarily need to protect access to the password manager itself.
A password manager can often:
- Generate strong passwords
- Store passwords
- Fill passwords automatically
- Synchronize passwords across devices
- Store secure notes
- Alert you about reused passwords
- Identify some compromised passwords
Many phones, computers, and web browsers also include password-management features.
Why Use a Password Manager?
Imagine having 60 online accounts.
Creating 60 strong, unique passwords is possible.
Remembering all 60 is another matter entirely.
Without a password manager, people often respond by:
- Reusing passwords
- Making passwords simpler
- Writing passwords in unsafe places
- Constantly resetting forgotten passwords
A password manager makes unique passwords practical.
Helpful Resources: Browse Password Management for products, equipment, services, or supplies related to this section.
Protect Your Password Manager
If you use a password manager, protect it carefully.
Use:
- A strong master password or other secure authentication
- Multi-factor authentication when available
- Updated recovery information
- Device security such as a PIN, password, fingerprint, or face recognition
Your password manager protects many of your digital keys, so access to it deserves strong protection.
What Is a Master Password?
Some password managers use a master password to protect your stored passwords.
This password should be:
- Strong
- Unique
- Memorable to you
- Used only for the password manager
Don’t reuse your email or banking password as your password manager’s master password.
If the service provides recovery options, understand how they work before you need them.
Built-In Password Managers
Your phone, computer, or browser may already offer password-management tools.
These can often:
- Save passwords
- Suggest strong passwords
- Automatically fill login information
- Synchronize passwords between your devices
- Warn you about compromised or reused passwords
If you use a built-in password manager, make sure the account protecting it is itself secured with a strong password and multi-factor authentication.
Let the Password Manager Generate Passwords
You don’t have to personally invent every password.
Password managers can usually generate long, random passwords.
For example, when creating an account, you may see:
Use Strong Password
Suggest Password
Generate Password
This can be an excellent option.
The password doesn’t need to be easy for you to remember if your password manager securely remembers it for you.
What Is Autofill?
Autofill allows your device or password manager to enter saved login information automatically.
This can be both convenient and useful.
Instead of typing your password every time:
- Open the login page.
- Select the saved account.
- Confirm your identity if required.
- Allow the password manager to fill the password.
Autofill can also reduce the temptation to create short passwords simply because they’re easier to type.
Be Careful Where You Enter Passwords
Before entering a password, make sure you’re actually on the correct website or app.
Scammers create fake login pages designed to look like legitimate services.
They may send a message saying:
Your account has been suspended.
Unusual activity detected.
Verify your account immediately.
Reset your password now.
The link leads to a fake login page.
When you enter your password, the scammer receives it.
Don’t Log In Through Unexpected Links
If you receive an unexpected email or text telling you to log into an important account, don’t automatically use the link in the message.
Instead:
- Open the official app yourself.
or
- Type the website address yourself or use a trusted bookmark.
Then check your account.
This helps protect you from phishing.
Never Send Someone Your Password
Legitimate support representatives generally shouldn’t need your password.
Don’t send passwords through:
- Text messages
- Social media
- Chat
- Online forms that aren’t the actual login page
Be especially suspicious if someone contacts you unexpectedly and asks for your password.
Don’t Share Verification Codes
Verification codes are often used to prove that you’re the person trying to sign in.
You might receive a code through:
- Text message
- An authenticator app
- A security device
If someone asks you to tell them a verification code you just received, stop.
That code may be the final thing they need to enter your account.
What Is Multi-Factor Authentication?
Multi-factor authentication adds another security step beyond your password.
It’s sometimes called:
- MFA
- 2FA
- Two-step verification
- Two-factor authentication
After entering your password, you may also need:
- A code
- An authenticator app
- A security key
- A fingerprint
- Face recognition
- Another confirmation method
This means that stealing your password alone may not be enough to access your account.
Turn On Multi-Factor Authentication
For important accounts, enable multi-factor authentication when it’s available.
Prioritize:
- Banking and financial accounts
- Password manager
- Cloud storage
- Social media
- Shopping accounts with saved payment information
- Work or school accounts
Different forms of multi-factor authentication offer different levels of protection, but having an additional layer is generally better than relying on a password alone.
Save Recovery Codes
Some services provide recovery or backup codes when you enable multi-factor authentication.
These codes can help you regain access if you lose your usual authentication method.
Store recovery codes somewhere secure.
Don’t keep your only copy somewhere you’ll lose access to at the exact same time as your account.
For example, storing your only recovery information exclusively on a phone that you’re trying to recover after losing the phone creates a rather unfortunate circle.
Keep Your Recovery Information Updated
Accounts often allow you to add:
- Recovery email
- Recovery phone number
- Backup authentication method
Keep this information current.
If your recovery phone number belongs to a phone you stopped using five years ago, it won’t be particularly helpful during an account emergency.
What Are Security Questions?
Some accounts use security questions for account recovery.
Questions might ask for things such as:
- Mother’s maiden name
- Childhood street
- First school
- First car
The problem is that some answers may be discoverable through public records or social media.
If an account still uses security questions, treat the answers like passwords.
Don’t choose answers that strangers could easily discover.
Biometrics Can Make Login Easier
Many devices allow you to use:
- Fingerprint recognition
- Face recognition
These features can make secure authentication more convenient.
They may be used to:
- Unlock your device
- Approve password autofill
- Open certain apps
- Confirm purchases
You should still maintain a strong device PIN or password because devices may require it under certain circumstances.
Protect Your Device PIN
Your phone or computer’s unlock code protects access to a tremendous amount of personal information.
Avoid easily guessed PINs such as:
1234
0000
1111
Your birth year
Use a stronger device passcode when your device allows it.
Also avoid casually entering your passcode where someone can easily watch you type it.
What If You Forget a Password?
If you forget a password, use the service’s official account-recovery process.
Look for:
Forgot Password?
Reset Password
Can’t Sign In?
Follow the instructions provided by the service.
Don’t pay an unfamiliar third party that claims it can magically recover your account password.
Make Sure You’re Resetting the Correct Account
Before resetting a password, check:
- The website or app
- The email address connected to the account
- The username
People sometimes have multiple accounts and accidentally reset the wrong one.
This can create even more confusion.
What If You Think Your Password Was Stolen?
Act quickly.
For the affected account:
- Go directly to the official website or app.
- Change the password.
- Use a new, unique password.
- Review recent account activity.
- Sign out of unfamiliar devices or sessions if possible.
- Check recovery information.
- Enable multi-factor authentication.
- Follow the service’s security instructions.
If you reused that password on other accounts, change those passwords too.
This is one of the reasons unique passwords are so important.
What If a Company Has a Data Breach?
Companies sometimes experience security breaches that expose account information.
If a service you use reports that passwords may have been compromised:
- Change your password for that account.
- Don’t reuse the old password.
- Change it anywhere else you used the same password.
- Watch for suspicious activity.
- Be alert for phishing messages related to the breach.
Use information from the company itself or other trustworthy sources rather than alarming messages asking you to immediately click a link.
Review Saved Passwords Occasionally
Many password managers can identify:
- Reused passwords
- Weak passwords
- Compromised passwords
Review these warnings periodically.
Start with your most important accounts.
You don’t need to rebuild your entire digital life in one afternoon.
Improving a few important accounts at a time is still progress.
Start With Your Most Important Accounts
If you currently reuse passwords everywhere, fixing every account at once may feel overwhelming.
Start with:
- Primary email
- Banking and financial accounts
- Password manager
- Cloud storage
- Shopping accounts with saved payment information
- Social media
- Work or school accounts
Give each one a strong, unique password and enable multi-factor authentication when available.
Then gradually work through less important accounts.
Should You Change Passwords Regularly?
You don’t necessarily need to change a strong password simply because a certain number of months have passed.
More important reasons to change a password include:
- You believe it was compromised.
- The company reports a breach affecting passwords.
- You accidentally shared it.
- You reused it somewhere else.
- Someone else knows it who should no longer have access.
Constantly changing passwords without a reason can sometimes encourage people to create weaker, more predictable passwords.
Don’t Keep Passwords in an Unprotected File
Avoid storing passwords in files named things like:
Passwords.docx
MyPasswords.txt
All_Logins.xlsx
especially if the file is stored without appropriate protection.
A password manager is designed specifically for securely managing login information.
If you maintain emergency account information for yourself or someone you trust, make sure it’s protected appropriately.
Be Careful With Shared Accounts
Sometimes households share accounts for things such as:
- Streaming services
- Utilities
- Household services
Avoid sending passwords back and forth repeatedly through ordinary text messages.
When possible, use services that allow:
- Family accounts
- Separate profiles
- Authorized users
- Secure password sharing
Never share passwords for accounts that should remain individual, such as personal email or financial accounts.
Don’t Save Passwords on Public Computers
Avoid saving login information on:
- Library computers
- Hotel computers
- School lab computers
- Shared workplace computers
- Other public devices
If you must sign into an account:
- Don’t choose “Remember Me.”
- Don’t save the password.
- Sign out completely afterward.
- Avoid highly sensitive accounts when possible.
Your own trusted device is a much better place for important account access.
Password Safety Checklist
Common Mistakes
Avoid these common password mistakes:
- Using the same password for multiple important accounts.
- Creating passwords from names, birthdays, or other obvious information.
- Making passwords short because they’re easier to remember.
- Using predictable substitutions such as replacing every “a” with “@.”
- Creating one password formula and slightly changing it for each website.
- Keeping passwords in an unprotected document.
- Sharing passwords through ordinary messages.
- Giving verification codes to someone who contacts you.
- Ignoring multi-factor authentication.
- Forgetting to update recovery information after changing your phone number or email.
- Saving passwords on public computers.
- Clicking unexpected login links instead of opening the service directly.
- Assuming you need to memorize every password yourself.
Strong password security isn’t about developing a superhuman memory. It’s about building a system. Use unique passwords, let a password manager handle the difficult remembering, protect your most important accounts with multi-factor authentication, and be cautious whenever someone unexpectedly asks you to sign in or provide a code. Once that system is in place, managing passwords becomes much easier.
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