An account exists to verify someone's identity within a given system, usually through a username (login) and password, ensuring that the right person has access to their data. When it comes to creating a password, we should take a few precautions that reduce the risk of information leaks. Check out some tips below for creating your password:
What not to do:
Don't use common words: Common words like “house,” “jesus,” and “dog” are the first ones tested by password-cracking software.
Don't use sequences: Sequential passwords are weak, such as “qwerty” and “12345”.
Don't use birthdates, phone numbers, or license plates: These types of passwords may seem secure because they're “unique,” but someone in your circle can easily get this information, making it less secure.
Don't use the same password for every account: If one of your passwords is discovered, there's a good chance it will be used to access your other accounts.
What to do:
Use special characters and uppercase letters: Add special characters and capital letters to make your password stronger. For example, you can turn the password “onnaweb” into “0Nn4w3b,” significantly increasing the odds it won't be cracked.
Make long passwords: Another tool you can use to strengthen your password. Usually, a password of 6 to 8 characters is required, but the longer your password, the harder hackers will have to work to crack it.
Considering that the alphabet has 26 letters (a-z) and there are 10 digits (0-9), the odds of a 6-character password being cracked are 1 in 2,176,782,336. For a 7-character password, it's 1 in 78,364,164,096, and so on.
Create a password with a logic that's uniquely yours: Use your creativity! Use your own personal logic to set your password (keeping the previous tips in mind). For example, you could combine the social network's abbreviation with your standard password.
Below is a list of the 10 most used passwords in the world:
1. password
2. 123456
3. qwerty
4. abc123
5. letmein
6. monkey
7. myspace1
8. password1
9. blink182
10. (your name)
