Password Strength Guide

Why Passwords Matter

Your passwords are the keys to your digital life. They protect your email, bank accounts, social media, and countless other services that contain sensitive personal information. Weak or reused passwords are one of the most common ways hackers gain unauthorized access to accounts.

The good news? With the right approach, you can dramatically improve your password security without making your life more complicated.

The Science of Strong Passwords

Length Beats Complexity

For years, we were told to create passwords with uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. But research shows that password length is far more important than complexity.

A 12-character password using only lowercase letters has more possible combinations than an 8-character password using all character types. Each additional character exponentially increases the time needed to crack a password.

The Passphrase Approach

Instead of trying to remember a jumble of random characters, use a passphrase - a series of random words strung together. For example:

• correct-horse-battery-staple
• purple.elephant.dancing.sunset
• coffee_mountain_bicycle_thunder

These are long, easy to remember, and extremely difficult to crack. The key is that the words should be truly random - not a quote, song lyric, or meaningful phrase.

What Makes a Password Weak

Avoid these common password mistakes:

• Personal information: Names, birthdays, addresses, pet names
• Common words: "password", "letmein", "welcome"
• Simple patterns: "123456", "qwerty", "abc123"
• Single dictionary words: Even with number substitutions (p@ssw0rd)
• Reused passwords: Using the same password across multiple sites

Password Managers: Your Essential Tool

A password manager is software that securely stores all your passwords in an encrypted vault. You only need to remember one strong master password - the password manager handles everything else.

Why You Need One

• Unique passwords everywhere: Generate and store a different password for every account
• No memorization needed: Only remember your master password
• Auto-fill: Log in to sites quickly and securely
• Phishing protection: Won't auto-fill on fake websites
• Secure sharing: Safely share passwords with family when needed
• Breach monitoring: Get alerted if your passwords appear in data breaches

Recommended Password Managers

Setting Up Your Master Password

Your master password is the only password you need to memorize. Make it count:

1. Use a passphrase: 4-6 random words, 16+ characters total
2. Make it unique: Never use it anywhere else
3. Consider adding complexity: Throw in a number or symbol between words
4. Write it down initially: Store it in a physical safe until memorized, then destroy

Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

Two-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security by requiring something you know (your password) and something you have (your phone or a security key).

Types of 2FA (Best to Worst)

1. Hardware security keys (FIDO2/WebAuthn): Physical devices like YubiKey - most secure, but requires purchasing a key
2. Authenticator apps: Apps like Google Authenticator, Authy, or Microsoft Authenticator generate time-based codes
3. SMS codes: Text message codes - better than nothing, but vulnerable to SIM swapping attacks

Where to Enable 2FA First

Prioritize these accounts:

1. Email (this is the master key to all other accounts)
2. Banking and financial services
3. Password manager
4. Social media accounts
5. Cloud storage (Google Drive, Dropbox, iCloud)
6. Any account with payment information

What to Do If Your Password Is Compromised

Immediate Steps

1. Change the password immediately on the affected account
2. Check for any unauthorized activity in the account
3. Change passwords on other accounts if you reused the compromised password
4. Enable 2FA if you haven't already
5. Review account recovery options to ensure they're up to date

Check If You've Been Breached

Visit haveibeenpwned.com to check if your email or passwords have appeared in known data breaches. Most password managers also include breach monitoring features.

Quick Reference: Password Best Practices