Monday, November 26, 2012

What Makes a Password Secure?


In today's modern age, passwords have become a common practice in many facets of our lives. From basic email accounts to social media sites and even banking records, passwords are intended to keep our information private, safe, and secure. So what makes a password secure? What helps to keep your personal information from being compromised?

The answer is a combination of factors that you need to keep in mind no matter what kind of website you are accessing or setting up an account for. The first thing that you need to keep in mind is that even though you may know a number of people, you never know every single one of them intimately. Are you certain that the friend of a friend whom you met last week is honest and full of integrity? What if your password for your bank account happened to be the name of your favorite actress? Would this person have figured that out and right now, at this moment, be accessing your information, transferring funds to his own account, and leaving you broke?

Sure, that is not likely happening right now to you, but it happens to people all around the world. Every single day. People they thought they knew, people whom they thought they trusted are breaking into their accounts and stealing money from them because they didn't use a secure password.

So What Makes a Password Secure?

The bottom line about what makes a password secure is that it is something that a person who knows at least a little about you couldn't guess what it is. We have a tendency to create passwords that are easy to remember. Birth dates, favorite teams, names of children, schools we attended, and so on.

There's an inherent fear that too many people have that if they choose a relatively random password, then they'll forget what it is and have to deal with the hassle of having a new one sent to them and having to change it all over again. Yes, it's a burden when this happens but you know what? Wouldn't you prefer to go through that once in a while rather than wake up one morning to find out you've been robbed?

Create a password that is seemingly random. It doesn't have to be random, though. It merely needs to have the appearance of randomness. There was a popular movie years ago in which a seemingly random set of letters and numbers was mentioned by one of the main characters. This made a great password when combined with another phrase.

What About Storing Your Password?

You do want to make sure that you keep your passwords stored in a safe place somewhere that you can find, should you need it. Don't jot them down on sticky notes and have them on or around the computer. Keep them in a booklet in a safe place where only you know where it is. Your online safety and security is far more important than creating a sense of convenience. Protect yourself and make sure your password is secure.

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