words Alexa Wang
People nowadays have private accounts everywhere. For various use cases, such accounts hold a lot of personal information. With time, more and more information is getting stored on such web-based accounts. As a result, passwords are used to secure the account or system from getting unauthorized access.
However, many trends show that most people like to use simple passwords. It is always advised to create a secure password. This way, the risks can be significantly reduced.
The question is, how can I know how secure my password is?
Given below are some tips to keep your passwords secure:
1. Strong Password Creation
Many people think using alphabets, numbers, and special characters together in a jumbled-up way is enough for creating a strong password. However, today one of the key aspects of creating a solid password is its length. Every single character that gets added increases the security of the password exponentially.
Many people use sentences and random words to increase the length of the passwords. In sentences, using a favorite long sentence with spaces and some special characters can be very easy to remember.
According to the words of Gilles Deleuze, “What is important is no longer either a signature or a number, but a code: the code is a password.”
Similarly, many people go for random words as passwords too. Now, these words need to be random enough that there is no connection between them. Some people even use musical lyrics as passwords with a bit of change here and there.
2. Avoid Reusing Passwords
Even if you have created a long and strong password, the job isn’t finished. For instance, many people tend to use the same passwords for all their accounts or multiple accounts. This is because it is easier for them to remember the password. However, this makes the password and the accounts extremely vulnerable.
Also, using different passwords in a cycle should be avoided too. Passwords should not be changed to something very similar to the previous one. Every time a password gets changed, there should be a significant difference between the old and new passwords.
3. Do Not Write Down The Password
Many people like to keep all of their passwords written down in a notebook or a spreadsheet. It is good to keep a backup, but in such cases, make sure that the document is accessible to you only – it’s pretty easy to lose a notebook or a sticky note, especially kept in a public place like an office. Also, writing down passwords in digital formats in a device should be strictly avoided. If the account gets hacked, and the device can be accessed, such files can be easily accessed. This will jeopardize the security of all your accounts.
The best way to manage passwords is to set up and use a password manager like PassCamp. It’s a digital tool that helps you safely store and easily manage all of the passwords you have, without risking the security of your data. It even helps you to create truly secure passwords so you don’t have to.
4. Do Not Save Passwords in Browsers
Nowadays, most browsers and operating systems offer the option of saving passwords. This seems to be an easy way for storing passwords, as the browser or system remembers the password for you. However, if anyone can access the device or the browser, every account you have stored there can be easily accessed. This practice should be avoided – even though it does seem convenient, it doesn’t offer much in terms of security.
5. Beware of Phishing Links
You will often see mails or messages showing your password has expired or reset links to your password. Unless it’s definitely you who has prompted for resetting the password, never click on such links. These are phishing links that can compromise the security of the account when clicked. For password resetting, visit the website related to the account and reset your password instead of clicking links on emails or messages.
Final Words
These are some of the ways by which passwords can be kept secure. Passwords should also be changed with time. As Clifford Stoll once quoted, “Treat your password like your toothbrush. Don’t let anybody else use it, and get a new one every six months.”
It is always better to be safe than sorry, and keeping the password security is the best way to keep your accounts secure. PassCamp is one of the finest password management tools that can help in keeping passwords secure. With it, people can reduce the risk of giving access to their private information to random people or hackers.
