Many companies, such as LastPass, utilize a password generator and a formula to spit out an unintelligible combination of letters, symbols, and numbers much like this one, “19Qu^Tf3U55j”. This is considered a quality password, but most of the public never have and never will employ a password like it.
A Strong Password:
- Contains at least 8 characters, although many security firms believe a password is not acceptable until it has 14 characters.
- Uses random capitalizations and characters.
- Never contains complete words or names or coherent phrases.
- Won’t use a word that can be found in a dictionary.
- Employs ‘toothbrush’ logic, meaning it will change about every 2-3 months.
- Is unique and will not be used more than once or ever again.
- Won’t be stored on a computer or anywhere on the internet.
Why Don’t People Use Strong Passwords?
Time and time again, people fail to use strong passwords and what’s worse is that they do it knowingly. In fact, in 2013, 90% of all passwords were considered vulnerable to hacking. Internet users are still resorting to passcodes like ‘password’ (7% of users), ‘qwerty’ and ‘12345678.’ These passwords are on the list of the Top 500 Passwords, which means people everywhere use these passwords to store multiple accounts on a daily basis (79% of the public to be precise). These are also the passwords that are the first to be cracked, within minutes and with no software needed.
So why don’t people use strong passwords? Simple.
- They’re hard to remember
- They’re in a hurry
- They have too many accounts
- They don’t care
- They don’t realize the risk
- They think they’re immune
