I have used lastpass for years as a password program.
www.lastpass.com But just like the article below, I know most of you will not do that even though it is becoming a greater issue than ever before. The article gives you options and tips despite not using a password app.
So read up, my friends and try to protect yourself as best you can. *Barb*
Strong Passwords Made Easy
We have preached and preached about using a good password manager like LastPass (or pick any good password manager) to create and manage passwords,. But we have finally realized that many of you are still not using a password manager and you’re never going to.
But we can’t begin to tell you how important it is that you use strong passwords and never reuse passwords on any site that deals with money or sensitive information (Social Security number, credit card numbers, etc.).
We have been around the computer world for a long time, so we know exactly why so many of you use simple passwords like sandyb1831 or reggie48… and we know why you use the same passwords over and over. Why? Because you can’t remember strong complex passwords and it’s a pain in the neck when you can’t log in to sites because you can’t remember your passwords. (These are all good reasons you should use a password manager like LastPass! )
So, for those of you who don’t want to use a password manager, here are some tips on creating easy-to-remember, but strong and complex passwords from your old uncle TC and auntie EB.
Let’s say your favorite movie is Gone With the Wind. You can make a strong password from that, you know?
Gon3WlTHth3w1nd*
That’s one way to do it. Notice the E’s are 3’s and the capital I in WITH is actually a lower case L. And the asterisk at the end adds a symbol to create a very secure password. According to
www.howsecureismypassword.net it would take a hacker 4 quadrillion years to crack that password. That’s longer than even EB is going to be around.
Or “Gone With the Wind” fans, try this one:
Fr@nkly$c@let*i*d0ntgiv3@d@mn
It would take a computer about 4 UNDECILLION YEARS to crack that password.
What if your wife has nice eyes? And her name is Meg?
iLuvuri$m3g
You are in luck. Even though that password is fairly short, it would take 400 years for a computer to crack that password.
Or what about your license plate, last 4 digits of your cell number and your first name. You can remember those things, right?
NEOU812*4419*D@n
His Nebraska license plate is OU812, the last 4 digits of his phone number is 4419 and his name is Dan. As you can see we used asterisks to separate them and the @ sign for the a in Dan. Oh so clever! And Dan, you’re pretty safe… according to www.howsecureismypassword.net it would take a computer one trillion years to crack that one.
OK… now we’ve given you some ideas on how to create some pretty strong passwords that are easy to remember and almost impossible to hack. If you don’t want to use a password manager like LastPass, at least put our easy-to-use password tips to good use! After all, it’s for your own safety.
Let’s see what I can do with Darcy’s name…
d@rcyYRu$0M3@N?
429 billion years to crack that one, EB!
