How to create unique passwords you can actually remember
Create Unique Passwords You Can Actually Remember
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These are my puppies. They don't need to create passwords but I needed at least one photo for this guide and they listened intently as I explained it all to them. :)
It seems that we are constantly signing up for accounts on new websites. Security experts warn to be safe we need to create "strong" passwords and use unique passwords for each account, but how?
People have all kinds of solutions for creating and keeping track of unique passwords, most involving databases and "master passwords" but they are inconvenient and not always accessible on mobile.
A strong password is at least 11 characters, not words in the dictionary, and a mix of letters and numbers and capitalization. Making passwords with the method I will share meets all those rules.
What makes this method even better is that you can use it to create passwords that are easy to remember, extremely hard to guess and unique for every account.
First craft a sentence with at least 9 words and a two digit number. It should be easy to remember with "room" for an account name. Ex.: "Creating a password for [site] site is 42 times too hard."
Next, derive two letters from the name of the account you are creating a password for. I use the first and last letters, but you could use the first two or the last two. Just be consistent.
Always capitalize the first letter and lower the second. Ex: Twitter: Tr, Google Mail: Gl, Facebook: Fk, Instagram: Im, SomeCoolSite.com: Se. Use first and last letters even if multiple words.
Take the two letters and replace the [site] placeholder. Twitter: "Creating a password for Tr site is 42 times too hard." Facebook: "Creating a password for Fk site is 42 times too hard."
To "build" the password say the sentence in your head and type the first letters from each word (use both account letters). Ex.: "Creating a password for Tr site is 42 times too hard." = CapfTrsi42tth
Don't try to remember something like CapfTrsi42tth. Just remember your sentence and how to get the account letters. You can always "build" the password again and it is unique for each account.
You can make different sentences for different account types, like one for social media and another for banking, but don't get too complicated to remember. The goal is to be easy for you to "build".
You can always use more letters for the account name as well, but try to stay simple and consistent to easily build the password when needed. More than 13 characters may be too many for some sites.
Thanks for reading this tutorial. I hope this method of password creation is as convenient and useful for you as it has been for me. This is my first Snapguide, so let me know what you think. :)
- 1.0 New account in need of a password.
- 1.0 The ability to construct a sentence.
- 1.0 The ability to remember a sentence.
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