Digital fortress: how to create a password that will secure your money and data

Passwords such as Oksana1985 can be hacked with a code-breaking software in a matter of minutes. With passwords like M0yaPershaP0d0r0zh!, it will take over 400 years. Can you feel the sharp contrast between the two? The second password is also easy to remember.

Security online starts from small things; a strong password is one of them. It doesn’t require any special knowledge or effort. All you have to know is a few simple rules that will turn your weak security into a digital fortress.

This guide is created to help you understand how to do it, without any complicated terms and with simple examples and easy-to-understand tips.

What requirements should a strong password meet and why are they important?

When a website requires you to enter a “strong” password, it has your best interest in mind. Code-breaking software acts automatically and checks around a million options per minute. Your main focus is to make it an impossible task for them.

Here are three golden rules of a strong password:

• Length: No less than 12 characters. Each new character complicates the hacker’s task by a lot. This is the main rule.
• Complexity: Use every possible character: capital letters (А, Б), small letters (а, б), numbers (1, 2), and special symbols (! @ # $ % ? &). This makes the code-breaking software try a lot more combinations.
• Uniqueness: One service – one password. If you use one password for e-mail and fishing forum then cracking a simple forum will give hackers access to your e-mail which also gives access to your bank account.

How to create a strong and memorable password?

Forget those ridiculous sets of characters. Use creative methods to make simple things into a reliable encryption.

Method 1: Abbreviated phrase. Come up with a phrase that you remember well. It can be a line of a song, a proverb or simply something personal.

• Phrase: “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
• Take first letters, add numbers, and characters: @joa1000mbwaSs.
• Such password is easy to remember by associating it with said phrase yet hard to guess.

Method 2: Mixing words together. Take 2 simple words unrelated with one another and mix together their syllables.

• Words: “Black” and “White”;
• Result: BlAteWhiCk25 (add a number for more security).

Method 3: Unique password for each website. It is easier than it seems. Come up with a strong base and add a small “tail” that indicates the website.

• Your base: MiySuperParol#2025;
• Password for e-mail gmail.com: gmMiySuperParol#2025;
• Password for online banking bank.ua: baMiySuperParol#2025.

This way you follow the uniqueness rule without the need to remember 10 different passwords.

Where to store passwords: a secure safe-box vs paper

To create a password is half the job. It is also important to safely store it.

Place that are DANGEROUS for storing:

• On paper stickers placed on the monitor.
• In the text file or the phone’s notes app.
• In browser cache. It may seem convenient, yet if a virus or a fraudster accesses your device, it will be easy for them to steal all stored password database.

The best modern method to store password is a password wallet. It is an armored digital safe-box. You install an app (for example, Bitwarden, 1Password, KeePass), create one strong master-key to use it, and use it as a safe-box for all your passwords in encrypted state. The program itself can help create strong passwords and automatically insert them on websites. All you have to remember is the password to the password wallet.

Conclusions

As you can see, it’s not that hard to stay safe on the Internet. You don’t have to be an IT-expert to shield yourself from fraudsters. The main point is to understand the principles and to develop a few good habits.

Remember: a long and unique password is your personal digital signature that cannot be forged. Password wallet is your safe-box. Two-factor authentication is your alarm-system that will notify you in case of danger.

Take some time today to activate two-factor authentication and to update your e-mail and online banking passwords. These are simple steps that will ensure your peace of mind and secure your data and finances.