How to select a secure password...

By Samantha Cordell | January 29, 2017

infosec28-crop-600x338-300x169These tips are designed to help you create a strong, secure password with tips on how to ensure you don’t forget it!

Password fundamentals

The most important considerations for creating a good password are:

1. The longer the better: At a minimum you should have 8 characters, but we’d recommend 12 or more.

2. Complexity: Adding numbers and characters greatly increases the strength of a password, as does a combination of lower and upper case letters.

3. Avoid repetition: Try to avoid creating a complex password, then incrementing it by one character each time you’re asked to change it.

4. Avoid obvious words/phrases: Don’t use anything obvious like “Password1", "qwerty", "asdfjkl;", "Sarah", "abc123". Dictionary brute force attacks start with these obvious phrases.

5. Don’t write it down: Don’t record your password anywhere, especially not on a post-it note on your desk!

Recommendations on how to create a secure password that you’ll remember:

Option 1: Turn a phrase into a password:

One suggested method is using the first letter from a favourite phrase.

An example could be a line from a movie, for example: Gone with the Wind - "Frankly my dear I don't give a damn" can be turned into the password "Fmdidgad". This alone isn’t secure enough, but by adding numbers and characters such as "Fmdidgad12#%", it’ll create a strong password

Option 2: Use several key words together

If option 1 isn’t for you, another option is to use several key words together to create a less complex but longer password.

In this case, just make sure that the words aren’t in the same order that they would appear in a sentence.’MyBigBrickHouse’ for example is not a good password. But something like ‘batterycorrecthouse’ is much better, and if you add some characters and uppercase letters (‘$batteryCorrecthouse!’), you’ll have a very secure password. Some tricks to think about here is to use words that you’ll remember, such as the name of an unusual street that you pass each morning on your way to work.

Option 3: Use a Password Tool

If all else fails, you can utilise a password programs like KeePass, which creates a completely random password not just for your windows network login but for all your online accounts too. In this case you only need to remember a single difficult password.

Remember we are always here!

At Diamond, we take security seriously, so please contact us today if you have any questions regarding the tips above - call us now on 1300 307 907 or complete the form below to contact our support team.

TAGS: Tech Trends and Tips, Business Value, Cyber Security

About Samantha Cordell
Samantha Cordell

It is not surprising that our Head of Marketing, Samantha (Sam) has spent most of her (nearly) 30-year career in the IT industry. Sam studied a combination of computer science and marketing at the University of New England. Her dynamic, energetic and pragmatic style lends itself perfectly to tech. With a background working with major players such as Microsoft, Intel and Cisco Systems, Sam is energised by driving meaningful marketing outcomes for industry leaders.