Tips for creating a strong password

To ensure consumers stay safe online and enjoy this holiday season, Check Point outlines practical tips for creating a strong password.

• Choose a password that is at least 8 to 10 characters long. This should be long enough to prevent brute force attacks. Since brute force attacks consist of trying every possible code, combination, or a password until the right one is found.
• Make sure your password is difficult to guess. Do not use names of any kind, including your login name, family member’s name or a pet’s name. Also avoid using personal information such as a phone number, birthday or place of birth.
• Avoid words that can be found in the dictionary. With the availability of online dictionaries it is easy for someone to write a program to test all of the words until they find the right one.
• Stay away from repeated characters or easy to guess sequences. For example: 77777, 12345, or abcde.
• Choose a password that is a mixture of numbers, letter and special characters. The more complex and random it is the harder it will be for a malicious person to crack.
• Use fragments of words that will not be found in a dictionary. Break the word in half and put a special character in the middle.
• Choose different and unique passwords for all of the important sites.
• Change your passwords often. Even if someone cracks the system password file, the password they obtain is not likely to last long.
• Use a reliable password protection solution.

To get more insight on how people create poor passwords, take a look at this analysis of 32 million breached passwords.