Protecting yourself on the Internet starts with having a strong, secure password. Although it may seem like a password can’t give you much protection, you would be surprised at the level of security a strong password can provide. The best way to create a strong password is to follow these best practices and tips. Below, we’ll show you how to build a powerful and protective password, as well as how to secure yourself on multiple accounts and devices.

Why You Need a Strong Password

Do you password-protect all of your devices and accounts? If so, you’re already one step closer to total security. However, some passwords are more secure than others. The length and complexity of any given password are used to determine its strength. If you have a short, easy-to-guess password, it will provide you with significantly less privacy and security. 

With a strong password across all of your platforms and profiles, you decrease the chances of encountering a cybersecurity attack. Increasing the strength of your password is the most inexpensive way to give yourself additional security online. 

Best Way to Create a Strong Password

When you want to create a strong password, you need to follow a few basic criteria. First, you should always make a password that meets the minimum required length. In most cases, this will be 8 characters ranging from alpha to numeric and occasionally symbols like exclamation points. Your password will always need to have a combination of those characters. The more characters you have in your password, the harder it will be for someone else to crack it. 

In addition to the length of your password, the content is also important. It’s best to avoid any information that can be used to identify you. For example: if everyone knows that you play basketball, it may not be a good idea to have a reference to basketball in your password. However, there are ways for you to incorporate your interests into a memorable password that is still secure. 

Let’s take a look at this password: Basketball123. Not very secure, is it? Sure, it meets the minimum requirements for characters, but it could be stronger. Let’s take the phrase “basketball” and add some flavor to it. We can change the letter “a,” which appears twice, into the “@” symbol. We can also turn the letter “e” into a “3.” You can also replace the “123” at the end of the password, maybe even with a famous jersey number such as 32. Now, our new password looks like this: B@sk3tb@ll32.

Avoid These Passwords

We’ve all been guilty of having a weak password. But there are some passwords that should be avoided at all costs. If you consider creating a password with any of these features, it’s important to correct it before using it. Of course, the list of “bad” passwords is endless, but we’ll discuss some major errors to avoid. 

  • Never include your name in your password
  • Avoid using the names of your partner or family members
  • Never use any password that references an answer to a security question (your mother’s maiden name, the street you grew up on, etc.)
  • Avoid repeating the same password across multiple platforms
  • Never use your own name in your password
  • Avoid using dictionary words and phrases

It’s important to keep your password hygiene up to date across all of your devices and profiles. One major way to improve your password security is to keep a unique password on all of your accounts. This way, if one password is compromised, you still have protection against criminals on other profiles. 

Keeping a strong password for your personal accounts is a great way to increase your security and online privacy. If you want to give yourself even more protection on the Internet, you need a powerful VPN. With the secure encryption that a VPN provides, you can rest assured that your online security needs are being met. 

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