Do you create an account on a website or in an app, for example on your favorite webshop? Then you need to create a username and password. Coming up with a good password can sometimes be tricky. It has to be so good that it’s hard to guess or hack, but you also have to remember it yourself. I’ll tell you all about strong passwords and the easiest way to remember them.
What makes a password strong?
A good and strong password is one that is difficult to guess. By people, but also by programs that hackers use. It is best to create a long password that consists of letters, numbers, and special characters. I’ll give you some tips and examples:
- The length of passwords is more important than the difficulty of the password itself. The more characters, the better. Therefore, think of a passphrase instead of a single word. For example Tulips are my favorite52!
- Use a combination of upper and lower case letters, numbers, and special characters.
- Do not create a password with easily guessable information (the name of your pet, partner or favorite football club).
- Also, do not use personal information such as your address or place of birth.
- Do you need to change your password after a while? Then don’t create a password similar to the previous one (from LabradorPip1 to LabradorPip2).
- Passwords with logical strings are also not useful, such as qwerty123 or welcome2023.
- Most importantly, never use the password for any other account.
Do you have no inspiration for a good password yourself? Most phones including iPhone phones and Samsung phones, have programs that automatically generate a strong password. This will give you a hard-to-guess password, such as hga6-Huec-8fab-kof45.
This is how you remember your good passwords
All those long password strings are quite hard to remember. Especially if, very well, you have a different password for each account. Fortunately, there are a number of helpers. A password manager is the most useful.
What is a password manager?
A password manager is a digital safe. You store all your usernames and passwords here. The only password you need to remember is that of your password manager. Also handy: a password manager automatically fills in your username and password on your phone.
Which password managers are there?
You have several password managers to choose from. For example, there are password managers that are standard on your phone, such as the iCloud keychain and the Google password manager. Other well-known password managers are:
- LastPass
- 1Password
- Nordpass
- Keeper
Extra security with authenticator apps
Do you want to secure your accounts even better? Then download an authenticator app. These kinds of apps generate verification codes for your accounts that you have protected with two-step verification.
What does that mean? Double security! After you have entered your password, you must also enter the code that you receive via the authenticator app. Good authenticator apps are, for example, those from Microsoft and LastPass. This makes securing your phone a lot easier.
