How to create a strong password

Using passwords is usually boring and annoying, but they are necessary. In electronic media, there is still no security function that could be more viable than these. Banks, credit cards, e-mail accounts, social networks and online stores are among the many applications that depend on these combinations.

The problem is that it is useless to use passwords if they can be easily discovered or if you have difficulty memorizing them. This article was created just to help you deal with this. Here you will see tips to create strong passwords, you will know tricks to protect them and you will have guidance on what to do and what not to do with them.

Index of contents

How not to create passwords

Don't create sequence-based passwords: When a malicious individual wants to discover someone's password, do you know what they usually try in the first place?

Combinations like 123456, abcdef, 1020304050, and qwerty (keyboard sequence). Sequential passwords are easy to type on a keyboard, and on the other hand, they can be discovered with the fewest number of attempts. Therefore, avoid them.

Although it may seem incredible, many security problems in companies and online services are caused by the use of passwords of this type.

They can be discovered so easily that it is increasingly common for some systems to prevent the use of sequences the moment the user creates a password.

Do not use special dates or names

Many people use special days like a relative's birthday or the wedding date as a password. Similarly, there are those who use the number of the car plate, the number of their address, telephone number, document number, the name of their child or the inverted surname, among others.

This practice is more insecure than using sequences, on the other hand, a malicious person can discover what date is important to you and use it to try to discover your password.

Also, someone may witness the moment you reveal your document number in some public place. Therefore, avoid using private information when creating a password to strengthen your security.

Avoid using passwords related to your tastes

Do you like soccer and are a fan of a team? Avoid using the club name as a password.

Are you an avowed fan of a music group? Try not to use the name of a singer or music group.

Do you love a writer's books? Avoid using the name of this writer or the characters in his works as a password.

When someone really likes something, they usually make this clear to everyone around them. Then the chances of a person creating a password based on their tastes are great. A malicious individual knows this well.

Don't use words that are around you

The brand of the clock on the wall of the office, the model of the video monitor on your table, and the name of the store you see when you look out the window, well, any name around you can seem like a good idea for a password, especially when it is a long term and difficult to assimilate on the first attempt.

The problem is that if you observe any of these names when writing the password, someone close to you can perceive it. Here's the message: Avoid using terms that are easily visible in your environment as passwords.

Don't create passwords similar to the previous ones

Many systems require or recommend periodic password change. When doing so, be careful not to use passwords similar to the previous ones (which only differ in one character, for example) or even passwords that have already been used.

How to create strong passwords

Here are some tips on how to create strong passwords.

Mix letters, symbols and numbers

Whenever possible, create passwords by mixing letters, symbols, and numbers, as this practice makes it very difficult to discover.

For ease of creation, you can use a word as a base, but substitute some of its characters. For example, instead of using 'profesionalreview' as the password, use '! Profesi $ t3rev'.

Keep in mind that the word still makes sense to you, and that substitute characters can be memorized without much effort, while also making life difficult for anyone trying to discover the combination.

Use upper and lower case letters

Some authentication mechanisms are " case sensitive ", that is, they distinguish between upper and lower case letters.

Passwords involving these two characteristics are more secure. You can take advantage of this suggestion in several ways, for example: instead of capitalizing the first letter, as we do with names, put the second or third; Or, you can set all consonants in a password as uppercase letters. By combining uppercase, lowercase, symbols and numbers, a stronger password will be created.

Uses more characters than recommended

Each character added to your password makes it more difficult to discover, even for programs created especially for this purpose.

Thus, when you create a new password, always use a number of characters greater than the minimum required by the system. Generally speaking, it is best to create passwords of at least eight characters.

Create passwords with which you have to use both hands to write them

This tip may seem strange, but it is useful in certain situations. If you are, for example, in front of your college classmates, someone might try to discover your password just by watching you as you type it.

Succeeding with this practice is very difficult, but not impossible, so try to create passwords with well-placed letters on the entire keyboard, so that you have to use both hands to write it.

For example, if you use the combination '25catarata' as the password, you can write it only with the left hand. However, if you use '20computadora', you will have to write it with both hands.

In this way, the person who is surreptitiously looking at your keyboard, will have more difficulty identifying the password than if you were using only one hand to type it.

Use the rules to create your passwords and not forget them

This is perhaps the most interesting tip in this article: it is recommended that you use a different password for each service, that is, that you do not use the same sequence for various purposes.

The problem with this approach is that you are forced to memorize a wide variety of combinations. But there is an easy way to do this: creating passwords with rules. Thus, you just have to remember the rules to know what the corresponding password is for each service.

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We will now create a set of rules to facilitate understanding. What follows is just an example. The idea is that you explore your creativity and make your own rules.

Let's assume that we are going to create passwords for use in internet services. Our rules are as follows:

• Rule 1: always use the first and last letter of the service name, to remember the password. Rule 2: if the number of letters that make up the service name is even, put the number 2 in the sequence. Put the number 3 if it is odd. Rule 3: if the name of the service ends with a vowel, it includes the term "Park", with capital 'p'. If it ends with a consonant, include the term “dining room”, lowercase 'c'. Rule 4: use the same number of letters in the password as the name of the service. Rule 5: if the service name begins with a vowel, it ends the password with the character '@'. If it is consonant, use '&'.

Having already these 5 rules, we can proceed to create a secure password for Skype to have as an example:

• Rule 1: we write the first and last letter of "Skype": rule 2: "Skype" has 5 letters, being odd, so it would be: se3 Rule 3: "Skype" has a vowel as the last letter, so: se3ParqueRule 4: "Skype" has 5 letters, so: se3Parque5Rule 5: "Skype" has a consonant as the first letter, so the password is: se3Parque5 &.

Based on this set of rules, a password for Google would be: ge2Parque6 &; for UOL, ul3comedor3 @.

Keep in mind that with this trick, you won't have to remember every combination. Just remember the rules. In principle, this advice gives a bit of work, but over time the rules will be assimilated. Also, you can create fewer rules or rules that you consider easier. The important thing is to have creativity.

How to protect your passwords

Although it seems like obvious advice, many users do not. And this causes their passwords to be vulnerable… so be careful.

Keep your passwords in mind

Avoid writing your password on pieces of paper, calendars, unprotected electronic files or any other means that can be consulted by anyone else. If this is unavoidable, just type in the password, but don't indicate what that combination means.

Do not use the "remember password" option on public computers

On public or office computers, do not use the option of "automatically insert passwords", "remember password" or something similar that many websites and browsers offer.

Avoid doing this even on your laptop, in case you get used to it frequently outside the home.

Always click on 'Exit' or 'End session'

Many people settle for closing the browser when leaving a certain website. This procedure is safe in most cases, however, in some cases, simply reopening the page can make the content you accessed (your email account, for example) still available.

If you have passwords stored in email messages, the problem becomes even more serious. One way to ensure that this does not happen is to click on the links or buttons with the phrase 'Logout', 'Logout', 'Sign out' or equivalent, always.

Don't use your most important passwords on public computers or unknown networks

Whenever possible, avoid accessing services that are very important to you on public computers, for example, on your bank account page. If it's unavoidable, make sure the site offers security features (like SSL protection). Also, avoid using your passwords on unknown Wi-Fi networks.

When typing the password, do it in the correct field

Be careful not to type the password in the wrong place, for example in the 'Name' field. If you do this, a close person can read what you wrote, since only the password field is protected.

The best way to avoid this problem is to not just look at the keyboard while you type, and constantly look at the screen.

Change your password periodically

It is very important that you change your passwords periodically, at least every three months. By doing this, you prevent, for example, that a person who captured your password and is frequently accessing your accounts continues to do so.

Don't use the same password for multiple services

For each service you use, create a different password. In case you don't, a person who discovers your password on a website can, for example, try to use it on another service and thus have access to other accounts of yours.

Don't use questions with obvious answers

Many websites offer a function that allows you to recover the password when answering a certain question.

The idea here is to get you to provide a question whose answer only you know. Don't create questions that can be easily answered, for example: 'which country won the 1986 World Cup?' (Argentina).

Instead, create questions that only you can answer, such as 'what's your favorite book?'.

Never share your passwords

Avoid sharing your passwords with other people, even if they are trusted people. Despite being completely trustworthy, the person can leave the password exposed somewhere without realizing it. In case you use a service shared with another person (such as a Netflix or Spotify account), each person should have their own login, whenever possible.

Beware of fake emails or websites asking for your password

One of the most frequent scams on the internet is email messages that direct to websites that go through bank pages, email, social networks, among others, even imitating the appearance of the original services.

If the user does not realize that he is accessing a fake website, he will end up giving his password and other data to a scammer. So keep an eye out for details that allow you to identify fake emails or websites, such as non-service addresses, misspellings, and suspicious requests.

Extra tips: password managers

The tips given here are helpful, but they do not lessen the inconvenience of passwords, since it is still boring to create, memorize, and protect them. If you can't handle this job, there is a way out: password managers.

In general, companies that offer this type of service offer applications for various platforms (Windows, OS X, Linux, Android, iOS, among others). The idea is that with this tool you can create complex passwords, save them (without having to memorize them) and, when using them, you can activate an autofill resource. Thus, in most cases you only have to remember the password of the chosen administrator.

These are the best known password managers (they all have free and paid services):

• 1PasswordLasPassDashlaneRoboFormKepperSticky Password

Keep in mind that, like any other computer tool, password managers are not without flaws.

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The chances of a security issue occurring are slim, but they do exist. In June 2015, for example, LastPass suffered an invasion. There was no record of critical data leaks, but anyway, users of the service have been directed to change the password of their accounts.