Password Security

Passwords are integrated in our daily lives. We have passwords for online banking, email, social media accounts, driving services and food services. We even have passwords for our passwords! Since so many things require a username and password, we can often fall into the bad habit of reusing the same credentials for multiple platforms.

Not only are usernames and passwords reused across multiple sites, they are typically short and simple. Cybercriminals use automated tools to crack simple passwords in a matter of minutes. Their attempts stall, however, with longer passwords – the longer the password, the more difficult it is to crack.

To increase security, we recommend passphrases, which are a sequence of words, a sentence (spaces included!) or an acronym. Passphrases not only enhance security, but they help increase memorability, as well. Another method is to use random password generators – you can just specify the length and complexity of a password without having to create it yourself.

Regardless of the approach you choose — strong passwords, phrases or generated passwords — password managers are handy! These online vaults for your login information are encrypted. Unsurprisingly, the key to password manager security is a strong password for your password manager. That limits you to having to remember one strong password to gain access to the rest of your credentials!