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When it comes to securing accounts and data, one practical thing to do is to create stronger passwords. Unfortunately, many today use weaker passwords. Find out what makes a password stronger and avoid the pitfalls of account and data security.

A password (or a “passcode”) is like a key to the lock of a room of valuable items. Just as you will need a key to open the lock of a room loaded with valuable products so you will need a password or code to open an account containing valuable information about somebody or an organization.

But the truth is using just any password isn’t all that is needed to secure an online account just as not every lock fully secures a room.

Why build stronger passwords?

Well, according to recent reports―on BBC, Forbes, HackRead and many others, just to mention but a few―numerous online accounts are being accessed by using stolen and hacked account passwords. Studies show that unauthorized access to some online accounts is, sometimes, a result of the account owners’ making.

If all account owners should regard the right guidelines for securing their accounts, the said account exploitation would be kept to a significant control if not fully eliminated. All, almost said, what are some of the best ways to build a good account password?

A good password should not be a real word or code

Using a real dictionary word or code such as; care4us, jkmensah66, king20berlin, qwerty, 123password, 12345678 among other similar ones is really a bad idea. A good password should not have anything to do with a name, word or phrase as that is very easy to guess.

The first step to account hacking is to try a real code, number or word usually those connected with the personal information of the potential victim. Always use an irregular code or word that is not real and has nothing to do with your personal info or anything related to you.

Do not use anything related to your personal information

Remember: your email or account username may be public so all that a hacker will need is your password and that shouldn’t be made easier for them. Never use your date of birth, age, telephone number, address, school name, or public name―just to say anything about you that people may have known―since that is easier to guess.

Use lengthy passwords or codes whenever possible

For some account providers a six-character password or code is accepted, others eight but the best is ten or more. Using a well-structured password with a minimum of ten or twelve characters will be very difficult to guess or calculate even when a hacker uses an advanced intelligent password cracker.

Always try to build a lengthy password coupled with mixed characters and numbers, which you can remember as well.

Build a stronger password with multiple characters combined

Use a combination of lower and uppercase letters, numbers, symbols or special characters in an irregular order to build a stronger password. Such a combination makes the password complex and very difficult to guess or calculate using advanced software tools.

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Do not use the same password for multiple accounts (sites)

“Re-using passwords at multiple sites is a bad idea, to begin with.” said security expert Brian Krebs in a blog post when he was analyzing the recent GoToMyPC password attack according to a report on BBC. Why?

According to the same report, hundreds of millions of user names and passwords have become available in 2016 and many cyber-thieves have combed through these long lists to see if the credentials listed have been reused on other services.

And yes, they really found more and used it to attack other site accounts. The TeamViewer remote access software, GoToMyPC, had its website accounts hit by massive attacks and the company resorted to resetting every single account password they had on the log.

These, and many other incidents, are clear pointers to the fact that using the same password or code for multiple accounts is a really bad idea. If you have done that already, kindly act fast before it becomes too late.

Re-using passwords at multiple sites is a bad idea, to begin with.

BRIAN KREBS

Recap: How to create stronger passwords

All too soon, we have come to the end of this article; what are the tricks to building a good account password? Let’s revise:  

• A good password should not be a real word or code
• Do not use anything related to your personal information
• Use lengthy passwords or codes whenever possible
• Build a stronger password with multiple characters combined, and the bonus?
• Do not use the same password for multiple accounts

I hope you’ve learnt a lot. Kindly add your comments below this article and share the tips with your family and friends.