The best ways to increase your password strength

The modern 21st century world is wildly exciting, however there are also way more opportunities for criminals these days, especially when it comes to the wonderful world of online connectivity. Just think about it for a sec: we shop online, we bank online, we entertain ourselves online… It’s all online!

Whilst this has certainly made things easier, you have to remember the importance of online security nowadays, otherwise you might live to regret it. Over at Winzum we’re always looking out for you, and you can read about some online security basics here [some online security basics].

One of the most vital things to your online security is knowing how to make the strongest passwords possible, because without this criminals could easily guess their way into your personal profiles. We’re full of tips at Winzum though, so stay tuned for some of the best ways to increase your password strength.

Think in phrases, not words

For one reason or another, when most people think about password strength these days they are still wrapped up in the concept of a password revolving around a word, often with a date or something alongside it. Well, this can work in some cases, but a top password strength tip is to think in phrases, not words.

If you can think of a unique phrase that you will easily be able to remember this is by far the better avenue when it comes to password strength, mainly because it increases the length, as well as the number of different characters. So, if you want superior password strength make sure you give those phrases a chance!

Use a few special characters and numbers

Using special characters and numbers is genuinely like password strength 101 – you simply have to do it. Luckily for us most sites these days will require you to have at least a few different characters and numbers, however it is a good thing to get in the habit of regardless.

A common complaint here is that it is much harder to remember a password with special characters and numbers, but should that even make a difference if it’s ensuring your password strength is as high as possible?

Don’t make it personal!

This is a password strength tip that is especially good to drill into children when they first start using passwords (along with some of this other stuff [teaching your kids about Internet safety]), because it can be the easiest habit to fall into. Generally you should avoid using personal information in your passwords, as it can make them easy to guess.

Things like birthdays are the common culprits, and criminals can have a field day with these. Using some of your personal information is okay with passwords, but only if its very secret and personal stuff.

Create passwords for each account

We said at the start of this article that the 21st century world of online connectivity has made our lives so much easier, and one negative consequence is that it seems as though we are perhaps all getting a tad lazier. One great way to illustrate this is the fact that many people have the same passwords for various accounts.

Whilst this is easier, it can be hugely dangerous in terms of password strength, because as soon as a criminal finds out one of your passwords, they’re all gone!