You may have heard about Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook account getting hacked, which was one of the biggest news headlines in 2018. Zuckerberg’s password was among the 117 million passwords that were leaked in the largest LinkedIn hack ever. And all these incidents create all the more reason to think about one question – how to create secure passwords for your website?
Using the same password on multiple websites is a big mistake, which is easily exploitable from a vulnerable website. For example – the famous LinkedIn hack exposed many passwords that were exploited to hack high-target profiles to extract crucial information.
Even though password security is essential to our website security, most people are still reluctant to use proper safety. And so, in this article, we will discuss in detail how to create secure passwords for your website painlessly and within minutes. Moreover, we’ll show some samples on how to create a secure password for your website in 2022.
Effective Tips for Creating Strong Passwords
Creating a memorable yet strong password takes only a few minutes of effective planning. In this article, I narrowed down the entire process into 4 simple steps that you can follow to create an uncrackable password for your websites.
However, did you get confused when I said ‘uncrackable’? Cause if you are, you’ve not read it wrong. Following the latest secure password standard in 2022, you can easily use a creative method I will show here. Here is what you need to do:
Step 1: Use A Mix Of Letters, Numbers, And Symbols
Being unpredictable is one of the best ways to stay secure. And I say this because sophisticated hackers will try to track down your internet usage and try to narrow down the words you may use as a password. So, how can I create a secure password?
Using a fine combination of letters and numbers mixed with symbols is the best way to create a safe password. Try making it complex by sprinkling the letters, symbols, and numbers.
Step 2: Extend Your Password - At Least 8 Characters
The password length is the second factor in our list of password security measures. Yes, length matters as long as you put it to good use and in this case, it adds a whole dimension to your website security.
Ordinarily, most websites expect you to write an 8-10 character password that usually serves the purpose. But, I suggest you should compose a password that’s at least 12 characters long; even better if it’s longer.
For example – Gs0kDenMunGenDhe!t. This word may fit the password criteria placed on a website. But the question is – can you remember such a long and bizarre password, especially one that carries no meaning? Well, the answer is obvious.But what if you write something like this – My Grasshopper 1s A P&rty Popper. Rhyme the words but keep spaces, symbols, and numbers to mix them up. This approach may seem hilarious to some people, but here is something that will blow your mind.
Try out the Hive Systems and howsecureismypassword.net websites; you’ll get tangible proof that longer passwords are generally safer.
Take a look at the time required to crack a password set using the current standards. The time estimated in this chart shows the average duration required to crack a password using the brute force method. Bottom line -the longer the password, the more time it takes.
Step 3: Use Different Passwords For Different Sites
Using the same password is the reason why as many as 117 million passwords were exposed from the LinkedIn hack. In most cases, people use the same passwords they use to open their mail, social media, ride-sharing apps, job-searching portals etc.
And this is exactly how exploiting one of these platforms can leave you vulnerable in all the other places, thus revealing your identity wide open. Nowadays, hackers use sophisticated dictionary attacks using databases of known passwords to study what kind of passwords people use currently. So, it is imperative to use different passwords and tweak them.
Well, keeping separate passwords for each site is the safest way to go. An average person uses at least 25-30 websites regularly, so it is better to mix up your passwords to keep each of your accounts intact.
And just in case you’re wondering whether someone actually tracked your password and exposed it online, here’s a website called haveibeenpwned.com that can confirm if you’ve been pawned or not.
Step 4: Don't Write Your Passwords Down
Writing down passwords is one of the most trivial mistakes I see people make. Although a lot of people seem a whole lot concerned about the integrity of their password, they do tend to write them down on paper.
Losing the physical documents in any way may compromise your entire security, in which case, the whole security concern will backfire on you. The best way to manage your passwords is to use a reliable password manager to store your passwords. Take LastPass, for example. It’s a good password manager with no hack records. I recommend this because I’ve been using it for over 5 years. It’s reliable and so easy to use
The Do's And Don'ts Of Password Creation
Here is a table that shows the do’s and don’ts of creating passwords:
DO | DON’T |
|---|---|
Long password | Short password |
Using both uppercase and lowercase letters | Using only uppercase or lowercase letters |
Using numbers, letters, and special characters | Not using numbers, letters, and special characters |
Creating separate passwords for each application | Not using separate passwords for each application |
Not using recycled passwords | Using recycled passwords |
Not using passwords found in previously hacked databases | Using passwords found in previously hacked databases |
Not using dates inside passwords | Using dates inside the passwords |
Not using sample passwords given by a website | Using sample passwords given by a website |
Not sharing any of your passwords | Sharing your passwords |
Storing passwords safely | Storing passwords openly |
Using a password for 5-6 months | Using it for too long |
Making it difficult to guess | Making it predictable |
Making it rememberable | Making it easy |
Vary your security question answers | Keeping the same security question answers |
The Dangers Of Weak Passwords
The effects of using weak passwords can range from a simple extraction of personal information to blackmailing, extorting money via force, online threat, public defamation via leaking classified information, etc.
But that’s not all. Recent study of password hacks suggest that hackers can keep tracking your information even after you’ve changed your password if you’ve not cleaned your website properly. So, the consequences are perplexing enough to be cautious about the drawbacks of using weak passwords.
How To Store Passwords Safely
Using a good password manager like LastPass is a good way to store all your passwords. Before choosing a third-party app to save all your passwords, do your own research on the company. How credible is your chosen company? Are they trustable? How long have they been in service? Growth of the company and checking their social media handles is important to gather a thorough impression.
What Makes A Good Password
A good password is a combination of good rhyming words, unpredictable words, and complex structure mixed together with numbers, symbols, and letters. The idea is to create something that is not in the list of exposed passwords in a hacker’s database.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Conclusion
A good password will help you to dissuade malicious attacks and exploits from taking control of your precious website. In the end, all these security concerns are what makes it essential to take the time to create an impeccable password. Overall, a good and secure password gives you one less reason to worry about when it comes to being compromised. And with that in mind, it is important to create a super strong password using the techniques I discussed in the article.
