3 Keys to a Genuinely Secure Password

If you have or plan to have your own website, you need to make it as secure as possible. One simple, yet potent strategy is to use a genuinely secure password.

But what makes a password secure?

There are 3 keys to creating a genuinely secure password for your website:

Randomisation

Length

Uniqueness

1. Randomisation of Passwords

The most common way hackers enter your website is through using bots to guess and check username and password combinations.

And rather than guessing letter by letter they often guess every word or combination of words from the dictionaries. For example, security.org estimates that a bot could crack the passwords:

• centipede in about 2 minutes (a 9 letter word)
• A4$_om?]| in 6 months (a 9 item mix of random letters, numbers and symbols)

So, rather than using words, it is best to use a random combination of letters, numbers, and symbols. This includes avoiding traps such as:

• Common substitutions, such as @ for a and $ for S
• Tacking on symbols at the end of your password

2. Length is a Key to Genuinely Secure Passwords

The second key to a genuinely secure password is the length of the password.

How long should a password be?

The answer depends. According to security.org, a random 7-digit password could be cracked in minutes, while an 8-digit password may take days and a 9-digit password can take months.

Yet, as technology evolves, so do the bots hackers use to break into your website. At the time I wrote this article, Google recommends that passwords should be at least 12 characters long.

However, if you want to future proof your passwords, then make them even longer.

3. Uniqueness

The third key to a genuinely secure password is to make each of your online passwords unique. That means not using the same password for more than one online account.

Yet, with the large number of online accounts that most people have, you will likely need to use a password manager. There are:

• Free options, such as Google’s password manager
• Options that may be packaged with your security software (e.g., Norton 360)
• Dedicated paid options such as LastPass

Create a Genuinely Secure Password

You can use this random password generator to create a random, long, and unique password for your website (or any other online account)