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Passwords are required everywhere in both our personal and working lives, and it can be incredibly difficult to create new ones, and furthermore remember them!

However, in today’s world, it is essential that you create good strong ones and renew them regularly…. so if your password is password, or qwerty, or 123456 or similar you really do need to read on!

Common Passwords Used

Take a look at the website Nordpass here on the Nordpass page, you can choose your country, and a list of common passwords will be shown, the results will also show you how long it takes to crack the password, and how many times it is being used.  If your password is on there you need to start making big changes!padlock on keyboard passwords

These were the top 10 back in 2020

  1. 123456
  2. 123456789
  3. picture1
  4. password
  5. 12345678
  6. 111111
  7. 123123
  8. 12345
  9. 1234567890
  10. qwerty

It’s common for people to choose keys on a keyboard in a row, many people use swearwords, and as a flip of the coin ‘Iloveyou’ in several variations is also another popular choice.  You should avoid names, your football team, and popular bands again all these are very commonly used and will be easily hacked.

It is reported that over 80% of breaches are due to weak passwords, or passwords being reused.

Why You Should Not Be Re-Using Passwords

You should not re-use passwords across various accounts you have no matter how strong you think your password is.  Essentially it’s not the password that will let you down but the platforms you use it on.  So, for example, you have a super-strong password for your online banking and you use the same password for another weaker secured platform.. if there is a breach in security on the weaker platform you are leaving yourself open for those hackers to potentially access your banking… remember that the common factor across all platforms will be your email address.

You should have strong secure unique individual passwords for all the platforms you access…… and wherever possible use multi factor authentication, for that extra level of security.

Passwords - poss hacker

What Is Multi Factor Authentication?

Multi Factor Authentication is when you are required to show evidence multiple times to add extra security levels to ensure you are who you say you are.

What is Two-Factor Authentication?

Two-Factor Authentication also known as 2FA this the user to provide an extra layer of security check as well as your password

Multi Factor versus Two Factor

Whilst 2FA is a good way to deter a hack Multi Factor is stronger because the more layers of security put in place the harder it is for a hacker to gain access to your account.

What Is A Password Manager?

Password Manager is a piece of software that manages all your passwords for you……. So you only need to remember one password and that is the one to enter into your password manager.  There are free and paid versions and it is worth doing some research to find out what features each one offers and take a look at reviews.

lock and chain on keyboard - passwords

Although tempting it might be to go with a free version of a password manager, you may find that paying a small amount each month will add that extra bit of security to your account… you are literally putting all your eggs in one basket so you need to make sure that everything is tightly secure.

As standard many (good) password managers come with password suggestions, some will scan the web for breaches, and check the dark web for your details.  Most of the good paid-for password managers encrypt your password before it leaves your device so even the password manager provider does not know what your password is.

How Do I Choose Strong Passwords?

Avoid words and obvious associations with you personally and with family, pets and specific dates.  Do not follow the keys on your keyboard in any row formation.

To think of strong passwords can be a nightmare fortunately there are some great websites out there that will generate passwords for you, personally, I always use Password Generator

You can decide on the length, and what symbols and characters you want to use then hit generate! Take a look at the How to Use Password Generator Here

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