Strong passwords
Creating a strong password that you can remember but is resistant to cracking is easy!
Strong password components
Strong passwords must:
- Must be 9-30 characters long, the longer the better.
- Must include an upper case character
- Must include a lower case character
- Must include at least 1 number
Also, passwords should not be
- A word in any dictionary, language, slang, dialect, etc. including Klingon and Elvish.
- Made from personal information like dates, names of family or pets, credit card number, license plate, etc.
- Should not be a commonly used password
Note: Do not use special characters (e.g., %, #, *) in PCC passwords because not all PCC systems are able to accept them.
Ways to create a strong password
Don't use the specific examples below as your password!
Phrases - use the first letter of each word and substitute a few numbers
- “Passwords don't really have to be that hard to remember.” becomes: Pdrh2bTh2r
- "She sailed away on a sunny sunny day on the back of a crocodile" becomes: SSaoa22dotboaC
Mix up words
Simply combining words is fairly weak, mixing them up is stronger.
- DenverBroncos1 – decodes in a second. brDEonNVcoER1s – (DENVER in broncos) is much stronger.
- 1965Mustang – decodes in the first second. 1MuS9TaN6G5 – would take a long time to crack.
Misspell, change case and include numbers
- Rainbow - change case and misspell - RiEnbow - add numbers RiEn3bo44w9 = Strong Password
Use 4 or more totally unrelated words
Total length must be under 30 characters - no spaces
- LearningRedTherapySnakePush4