How to Make Your Online Passwords Ironclad
When it comes to online security, one of the most important components is your password. A secure password is essential to shielding your accounts from malicious and unauthorized individuals. Protecting your accounts with an ironclad password is key to protecting sensitive information that can ruin an individual’s financial independence and digital reputation.
Fortunately, creating an ironclad password is fairly straightforward, and in this article, we’ll be discussing the most effective methods for creating safe passwords.
What is an Ironclad Password?
An ironclad password is a string of characters that is virtually uncrackable and would require a significant amount of computing power to guess correctly.
An ironclad password should meet up to the following requirements:
· Long: the longer the password, the higher the security
· Complex: combining numbers, special characters and both upper and lower case letters helps make the password harder to guess
· Unique: don’t use the same password for multiple websites or accounts
· Changed: passwords should be changed periodically to prevent unauthorized access
Why You Need an Ironclad Password
Now that you know what an ironclad password is, you may be wondering why you need one. In today’s digital landscape, cyber-attacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated and seemingly free of consequences for the hackers. An ironclad password is one of the simplest methods of protection against hacking, making it nearly impossible for anyone to guess your password and gain access to your personal data.
In addition, using weak, common passwords can result in a significant breach of data. Approximately 20% of data breaches involve stolen credentials, such as username and passwords, so it’s paramount that you protect your accounts with the strongest credentials possible.
Creating an Ironclad Password
Now that you know why you need a secure password, let’s get into how to create one.
- Avoid Reusing Passwords
One of the most important rules of password creation is to never reuse your passwords. It can be tempting to reuse old passwords on new accounts, but if any of those accounts are compromised, the hacker will be able to access all of your accounts.
- Avoid Weak Passwords
When creating a password, it can be tempting to use easy to remember words such as your pet’s name, family member names, birthdays, and other easily guessed phrases. But the more simple a password, the easier it is to guess. It’s important that you avoid these passwords, as they can easily be cracked by a malicious actor.
- Use Longer Passwords
It is well established that longer passwords are more difficult to crack. Fortunately, there’s a simple way to make your passwords longer – strings. A string is a set of words, numbers, and/or symbols that can be made up to create your own personal passphrase. To make strings even harder to guess, try using punctuation, emojis, and other symbols that are uncommon.
- Use Password Managers
When creating a strong and secure password, you may find it difficult to remember your passwords. In order to simplify the process of creating and storing passwords, you can use a password manager. Password managers are apps or software that can generate random and secure passwords for you and safely store them within an encrypted vault. They are incredibly helpful for keeping track of multiple accounts and passwords.
- Enable Two-Factor Authentication
Two-factor authentication, or 2FA, is an extra layer of security for your accounts. 2FA requires you to use two methods of authentication when logging into an account, such as a password and a code from an authentication app or a code sent to your phone. This makes it much harder for malicious users to access your accounts, as they’ll need two separate forms of authentication.
When it comes to online security, creating an ironclad password is key to safeguarding your accounts and personal data. Creating an ironclad password is fairly straightforward, and we’ve outlined the most effective methods for creating safe passwords above. Keep these tips in mind next time you’re creating a new password and you’ll have peace of mind that your information and accounts are safe and secure.