Creating a Complex Password

Published On: October 20th, 2020Categories: Business Technology, Cyber Security, Tech Tips

Password security is especially important when it comes to keeping your personal and company data safe. A great way to create a strong, complex password is starting with a phrase or sentence. Follow these simple steps to create your passwords.

STEPS	EXAMPLE
Think of a phrase or sentence with at least eight words. It should be something easy for you to remember but hard for someone who knows you to guess. It could be a line from a favorite poem, story, movie, song lyric, or quotation you like.	I Want To Put A Dent In The Universe
Remove all but the first letter of each word in your phrase.	IWTPADITU
Replace several of the upper-case letters with lower case ones, at random.	iWtpADitU
Now substitute a number for at least one of the letters. (Here, we’ve changed the capital “I” to the numeral 1).	iWtpAD1tU
Finally, use special characters ( $, &, +, !, @) to replace a letter or two — preferably a letter that is repeated in the phrase. You can also add an extra character to the mix. (Here, we’ve replaced the “t” with “+”, and added an exclamation point at the end.)	iW+pAD1tU!

Additional Tips for Password Security

Keep your passwords private.
Do not write down your passwords.
Use passwords of at least eight (8) characters or more.
Use a combination of upper case letters, lower case letters, numbers, and special characters (for examples: !, @, &, %, +) in all passwords.
Avoid using people’s or pet’s names, or key dates (birthdays, anniversaries, etc.)

About the Author: Eric Vicencio

Eric began his career in healthcare, and he has been working in the IT field since 2006 when he graduated from Northern Illinois University. Eric specializes in Infrastructure, SQL and compliance: Licensing, HIPAA, GLBA and PCI.