Simple Way To Create Strong Passwords

Strong passwords are essential to computer security. Everyone talks about them but how do you create a good and secure password? In this short article I'll give you a few examples of what a strong password is and how to create one that you'll be able to remember without having to write it down.

First, what makes a password "strong"? A strong password is one that meets the following requirements:

   1. At least 8 characters in length
   2. Uses upper and lower case letters (A-z)
   3. Includes numbers and symbols (1234%$#@)

Some examples of good passwords would be:

   1. 0dMi10yo!
   2. 1tmp?G1b
   3. Mf$wboJ9y!958

Great, we now have a strong password, but how do people ever remember those random characters? The truth is, those aren't random characters. The easiest way to create a strong password is to think of a phrase and then take the first letter of each word in that phrase to create the password.

Let's take the first example: 0dMi10yo!

I used this phrase to come up with the password: Our dog Max is 10 years old!

Notice that I substituted a zero "0" for the "O" for the first character. I also used the number "10" instead of spelling it out "ten". Those two things along with the exclamation point at the end give me a strong password.

Let's take the second example: 1tmp?G1b

The phrase I used for this password was: Is that my pen? Give it back

Instead of using "I" for the first character I used a "1". I also ignored the space between the two sentences.

Avoid using spaces in your password, they just lead to confusion.

The last example I gave was: Mf$wboJ9y!958

Here's the phrase I used: My friend Sam was born on July 9 year 1958

I switched the "S" for "$" and the "1" for "!".

That's all there is to creating a secure password that will keep your logins safe. So next time you change your password don't just add a 1 to the end of it, take a few minutes and think of a phrase that you'll remember and then create your new password. To see if your password is strong enough click here.

Computer security tips from Premium Technologies (Tulsa, Ok) http://www.ptechok.com

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