In today’s world, much of our life is online. We communicate, read, shop, work, search, and entertain ourselves with applications and services, online. This becomes especially relevant to my audience as they BUILD and GROW their businesses, online.
There are many benefits to being able to work online (including time, efficiency, money, and even comfort), but there are also some risks. One risk, in particular, is password security.
Just like the keys to your house or your car, passwords also keep unauthorized personnel from accessing your personal assets and tools. In this brief guide, we will explore how to better protect our accounts online with stronger, more secure passwords.
What does a strong password look like?
Weak passwords are easy to break into, and if all we have are weak passwords protecting our online life, we can be at risk of a digital break-in. In this section, we will explore what a strong password looks like so that we can create them for our own accounts.
They are long
Often, the passwords we use aren’t that long. We can even struggle to meet the minimum requirements for password length sometimes with the passwords we know and love to use to protect our digital lives.
So how long is long enough when it comes to having a secure setup online?
The answer is a function of computing time and how easy a password is to break into if the password is short. A report performed by BetterBuys found the following about password cracking times:
- A 7-character password takes 0.29 milliseconds
- An 8-character password takes 5 hours
- A 9-character password takes 5 days
- A 10-character password takes 4 months
- An 11-character password takes 1 decade
- A 12-character password takes 2 centuries
I tend to stick to passwords that are over 12 characters for enhanced password strength. Length isn’t the only factor to password strength, we will also look at uniqueness and complexity.
They are unique
Many people have only a few passwords for all their accounts online. This opens one up to widespread security breach of
Unique passwords are pretty simple in theory – use a different password for every different account.
Easy right?
Well, in practice it’s pretty tough if you don’t have an organized system. If you keep reading we will talk about possible solutions to having unique passwords for each of your online accounts.
They are complex
Humans are not great at coming up with a complex and “random” password. Typical passwords end up being a name, a date, or a special word – all typically able to decipher with information online using social media. Creating complex passwords must consist of a “random” assortment of letters, numbers and symbols to be truly complex.
“password123” = simple
“chjeNwi4oDn” = average
“;J3OsN9.?M<i2” = complex
Later in this post, you will find tools that can help you develop complex passwords that force hackers into inefficient code breaking methods that take a long time to sift through.
How do I create strong passwords?
Now that you know what a strong password looks like, let’s explore how to create one and check if it is truly secure.
Use a pass-phrase for your pass-word
One easy way to create longer, more memorable passwords is to combine words and include numbers and symbols to make more complex combinations.
Because longer passwords are harder to crack, having a multiple word password can take brute force algorithms trillions of computing hours to break in.
For example – “
Including uncommon words in your passwords are a great way to extend their length while maintaining memorability.
Use a password strength analysis tool
If you are unsure about the strength of a password you are using, you can analyze the password strength with various online tools.
I personally use the one associated with my password manager, Dashlane. It tracks the overall health of your passwords, whether you have any reused or weak passwords.
How do I keep my passwords safe?
We have now talked about strong passwords and how to create them; I now want to talk about how to keep them secure.
Use a password manager
Password management tools help secure your passwords and make them easily accessible for you to use when you need them. There are many options to choose from when selecting a password manager – some are good, while others do little to help you stay safe online.
The tool I use for password management is Dashlane. It allows me to create, store, and have available each of my unique passwords. With Dashlane, they will monitor your overall password health, checking them for uniqueness and complexity.
If you are looking to step-up your online security, Dashlane is the tool for you.
Avoid non-secure network locations
Free Wi-Fi hotspots may be a great way to get some quick work done in a cafe, but can be risky if you don’t take the proper precautions. One could argue that you should completely avoid such networks. But if you must use a non-secure network, I recommend using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to protect your network traffic.
NOTE: Do not perform sensitive actions on networks you have no control over. (Ex. financial, medical, etc.)
Use Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)
Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) is when an online service sends you a verification code by phone, email, or other service after you correctly enter your password. This procedure protects you when your password is correctly identified, and further access is required.
If you are curious to see if a service offers 2FA as a security feature you can check out: https://twofactorauth.org/ They have an updated collection of 2FA supported web services.
I would recommend enabling this on all accounts that allow for it. But if you have to choose only a few accounts to have this on, I would put it on your email and financial accounts, as these are the most valuable for hackers.
