by
Szymon Kurnicki
Information Security Unit
Nobody has to be told that our data should be protected with a strong password. There is a simple technique which allows us to create new passwords that are easy to remember and difficult to break.
About 40 percent of Internet users have the same password to all accounts on different websites. Such a practice is condemned by the cybersecurity experts and it has its justification. Not everybody knows how important is a strong password and how easy it is to create one which will be difficult to break. The most dangerous situation in the world? The same password to your e-mail and online services. A hacker who takes over or breaks the password to an email account, immediately tries to log in to Facebook or other websites using the same password. Therefore it is essential to have many different passwords.
Your password should not be a word which may be found in a dictionary. Adding numbers at the end of the password does not help either – cafe1 is almost the same weak password as 123456
How to create a good password?
It is not that difficult to create a strong password which would be easy to remember. You only need to keep a few rules in mind. Your password should not be a word which may be found in a dictionary. Hackers use automatic methods of account takeover whenever they can. A special algorithm will try to guess our password, using words from the dictionary and their variants all the way. Adding numbers at the end of the password does not help either – cafe1 is almost the same weak password as 123456.
Our password should contain special characters, capitals and small letters. Therefore, C4aFe! would be a better choice but it also can be broken by hackers.
The above-mentioned password contains capitals, small letters and special characters. However, how to remember where to put a special character, capital and number? There is a way to do so. You only need to create your own password algorithm.
Create an algorithm for all your passwords
The password should be based on a sentence, saying or idiomatic phrase which is somehow exceptionally connected with us. You also should choose a specific range of numbers and special characters we use.
An example: A sentence “I don’t like spinach” could be converted into a password: IDoLiSp1@. In this case, we choose two letters from each word and add a number and special character at the end. On Facebook, it could be a sentence we usually start a conversation with a name added. Example: “What’s up Monica?” We can use the above-described method and change the sentence into WhUpMo1}.
An example: A sentence “I don’t like spinach” could be converted into a password: IDoLiSp1@. In this case, we choose two letters from each word and add a number and special character at the end. On Facebook, it could be a sentence we usually start a conversation with a name added. Example: “What’s up Monica?” We can use the above-described method and change the sentence into WhUpMo1}.
Our surroundings can also be helpful. A sentence “A bus stop outside” will change into AbStOu4>. Of course, our algorithm may be more complex. A password may be e.g. 8>AbStOu.4 – in this case, we used numbers from a birth date. We can change the order of capitals, special characters or numbers. We only need to set an algorithm we will be sure of. In creating a strong password the only thing is to create a “black box” for a third party, which will be simple for the creator at the same time. The third party will not know if we used e.g. the name and diagonal of our computer screen (ScSa22”1> – Screen Samsung 22”) or the color of our mug (8WhMuWd.7 – white mug with dots).
Never share your password with anyone
Hackers are able to do almost everything to take our data over (and our money, as a result). Therefore, you must not write your password down – not only on the piece of paper but also in any file or e-mail. Do not share it. Especially by phone. The banks have their iron principle – never ever ask for a password to online banking. If we pick up the phone and someone asks us to share our login data to the bank, it is certain that we are facing a scam. It is also worth using an anti-virus program which will detect any attempt of breaking your password. It also needs to be changed regularly. It is also a good idea to use a two-factor authentication (possible on e.g. Gmail or Facebook).
Read also:
Buying online? Learn the golden rules of secure online payments
Since smartphones became popular, we have started to buy everything online – from toys to clothes and furniture, concert tickets, food, and books. We also book faraway holidays and theater tickets. We make online payments every day using different devices. How can you make sure that your transactions are secure?
Published over 6 years
from Citi Handlowy Magazine
