Cybercriminals use automated tools to try every possible password combination, and weak passwords can be cracked in just minutes—or even seconds. However, a strong password that’s long, includes both uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters—especially in a random order—can take years or even a lifetime to break. The stronger your password, the better your protection!
Use passwords that cannot be easily guessed, and protect your passwords from others.
- Do not share your usernames or passwords.
- Avoid writing usernames and passwords down.
- Consider using a password manager, which securely stores your passwords across all devices.
The following passwords are weak as they can be easily guessed or deciphered.
- Dog123456 (Time needed to crack 0.14 seconds)
- Pa$$word (Time needed to crack 0 seconds)
- ILikeEAGLES (Time needed to crack 4.09 seconds)
Strong, cryptic passwords contain a mixture of numbers, symbols, and uppercase and lowercase letters. You can create a strong and unique password by using a phrase and incorporating acronyms and shortcut codes.
Your passwords should try to meet the following:
- A minimum of eight characters.
- Difficult to guess.
- Do not include personal information, such as usernames; names of family, friends, or pets; etc.
- Make sure to use a unique password for each of your accounts, especially for important ones like banking. If a company experiences a data breach and your login details are exposed, hackers could easily access any other account that shares the same password. Keeping your passwords unique adds an extra layer of security and helps protect your personal information.
The following passwords are strong:
- 2BorNot2B_ThatIsThe? (Time needed to crack 13 million years)
- When 1 Wak3 Up I lik3 to go for a RUN!!!! (Time needed to crack 9 hundred trillion trillion years)
- I really enjoy going to school, MY FAVORITE SUBJECT IS PHYSICS! (Time needed to crack 3 billion trillion trillion years)