Password. Qwerty. 123456.
What do these three phrases share? They’re the top hacked passwords of 2020 in the United States.
These passwords are popular because they’re quick to type and easy to remember. Who doesn’t want easy passwords to remember?
With so many services requiring password-protected accounts, it feels impossible to remember them all.
With sophisticated software and hackers working full-time, data breaches are bound to happen. By following a few simple password guidelines, you can do your part to protect your online accounts.
Once you’ve made those passwords, you need to remember them. Keep reading for tips on how to remember passwords. Once you’ve made those passwords, you need to remember them. Keep reading for tips on how to remember passwords. Just think of it, all your passwords including saved passwords, master password, old or new password, weak or strong passwords should all be protected in a password managers.
The Longer the Stronger Master Password
Eight characters, minimum. Most sites require at least eight characters in a password. If you can, try to make your password longer than eight characters.
The reason? A lot of hackers use algorithms to help them out. The more characters they have to decode, the longer it takes.
Going beyond eight characters makes the password even more difficult to guess. And, in case you’re wondering, longeristronger is not a secure password. Make your master password a memorable password so you will not forget it.
Not Too Personal Or Same Password
Stay away from addresses, phone numbers, street names, birthdays, or names of family members. These things are easy to guess or figure out by browsing social media accounts.
Careful about school mascots and maiden names, too. Even a quick Google search can reveal basic information about you.
Your password should be something you can remember, but nobody else will. If you’re vocal about your love of meatball subs, stay away from meatballsubsareawesome! or Iluvmeatballsubs1999.
Pick passwords based on little-known facts about you. If nobody else knows about your One Direction obsession, make your musical secret the base of your password. Don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone. The compromised password should not have a place in your stored passwords list.
Make A Code
Creating easy passwords to remember that are also secure takes a little thought and planning. Go ahead and put on some sunglasses, trench coat, or a fun hat if it helps get your creative juices flowing. Start with a base password and make it a little more complicated from there.
CryptoPhrase
Start out with a phrase that means something to you, but not many people would know. Let’s use the One Direction example.
Using your favorite One Direction song, What Makes You Beautiful, create a code. You could take the phrase One Direction Number One Hit What Makes You Beautiful and use the first letter of each word.
OdNoHwMyB. This is much more secure than a song title or band name. Want to get even fancier (read: more secure)? Try using numbers in there.
1Dn1HwMyB. See what we did there? One=1. You could also add the debut date, April 21, 2012. 1Dn1HwMyB4212012. This is a great way to encode, but still remember password.
Muscle Memory
Is a crypto-phrase too crytpic? If you use a motion activated code to unlock your smart phone, this trick is right up your alley.
Take an index card or big post-it note, and a pen or pencil. Fill the card with random combinations of numbers, letters, and characters in even rows. Now swipe your finger in the same motion you use to unlock your smartphone or tablet.
Use the numbers or letters you just swiped across the index card for your password. This is also a great way to store your password, because nobody else will be able to make sense of your note if they find it.
Add Some Repetition
Once you’ve landed on your super secure passwords, seal the deal by adding easily reachable repeats to it. Here’s what we mean.
Let’s continue with the password 1Dn1HwMyB4212012. By adding dfdfdfdfdfdf at the end, you increase the security. This creates confusion for some hacking software and hackers.
Use any two keys that are close to each other on the keyboard and don’t need the shift key.
Explore The Keyboard
Here’s another method to try. Using the base password 1DN1HwMyB, add some numbers. What’s above the first letter, D on the keyboard? It’s E then the number 3.
You could add 1De3. Now follow the next letter N up the keyboard. You’ll find JI9.
Insert this pattern for any part of your password to make it more secure. This is also a great way to change a base password enough to create more security across accounts.
Remember, you should never use the same password across accounts. Changing parts of it to make it more secure, however, is just fine.
Add Characters
Many sites now require you to add at least one character to your password. Stay away from the exclamation point at the end. It’s very common and easily discovered.
Experts advise using at least one digit, one symbol, one uppercase, and one lowercase character.
Let’s keep going with our One Direction base password. You could randomly throw a character in there, but would you remember it? It’s best to avoid using the shift key with your password’s characters.
You could try using brackets around the date portion of your password. It could look something like this: 1Dn1HwMyB[4212012]. You’ve got more than eight characters, numbers, and letters.
There are still several precautions to take when making easy passwords to remember. Keep reading.
Don’t Be a Repeat Offender
Don’t use the same password across accounts. Read that again. Using the same passwords for multiple accounts is like handing your personal info to a hacker.
Let’s say you’re using the Iloveonedirection! (but don’t) for video streaming services, online banking, and your fantasy sports login. Then you get an email about a data breach for one of those.
Now whoever stole your fantasy sports password now has access to your online banking and video streaming. You might not be too concerned about your compromised streaming service, but you should be worried about stolen banking info.
Recycling Isn’t Recommended
Some people like to make small changes to passwords and reuse them. Environmental reuse is a great habit, recycling passwords is not. When you recycle passwords, they become easier to figure out.
Let’s say your password is ILOveOneDirection1999!. Then you think, “I know how to remember passwords. I’ll change the year.” So you make the next password ILOveOneDirection1989.
See the problem here? It’s a great way to remember old passwords, but also easily hacked. As mentioned above, if you want to change your base password, make it more complicated. Don’t just change one or two numbers.
Write It Down
So how are you supposed to remember all these different passwords? It’s actually okay to write them down. Years ago, this was the opposite of good password advice.
That’s back when most threats to your security were someone physically stealing your desktop password Rolodex. Nowadays, cyber threats are much more common than physical theft.
Follow These Tips
Just make sure you follow a few basic safety guidelines when writing down your passwords.
This list should be an old-fashioned paper and pen/pencil list. This is not a Google Doc, Excel Sheet, or any other online word processing document.
Next, make sure it’s in a secure location. If you’re on the go a lot, it’s best to leave that trusty password notebook behind. Think about locking it up in your safe or secure file drawer.
Finally, don’t just write everything down. If the wrong person gets their hands on that list, you’ll want to make it difficult for them to figure out what it says.
Instead of listing your passwords for each account, use little tips only you would know. Instead of writing Fantasy Sports – 1Dn1HwMyB[4212012], write Fantasy Sports – that one hit.
If It Ain’t Broke…
Contrary to old advice, there’s no need to routinely change up your password. If your password hasn’t been compromised, just keep it the way it is.
Changing passwords every 30-90 days forces people to make it easy to hack passwords. This defeats the purpose of the frequent password change requirement: increasing security.
Don’t Be Afraid to Outsource
So you’ve tried the hacks and tricks and still can’t remember all those passwords. It’s okay, you’ve got options.
You can outsource password management to the professionals. Password managers keep your passwords secure by encrypting them. They’ll make your login and logout processes easier.
Getting Creative
Password management companies know you’re sick and tired of keeping track of complicated passwords. They also know you’d like to login to your online accounts without resetting the password every time.
That’s why they’ve thought about alternative ways for you to sign in. By using face recognition software, you can login with your face. With two factor authentication, you’ll confirm it’s you signing in via email or text confirmation.
These companies have figured out how to work smarter, not harder.
Use the Automated Force
If creating your own password seems like too much work, use a secure password generator. LogMeOnce, for example, has a generator that also lets you check the strength of your password.
Be very careful when searching for this tool online. You could be using an unsecured site that will record your passwords and attempt to hack your accounts.
Always go to the company’s website first and check out their online reputation before clicking on any links to generate or check security of passwords.
It’s Business and It’s Personal
Yes, keeping your personal information is extremely important. But what about your business? If you own or run a business, what safeguards do you have in place for security?
Have you educated your employees on strong password creation? Are they following password safety protocols? How can you be sure your sensitive business info is secure?
Can Your Employees Pass the Password Test?
If you’re concerned about password security within your business, try a little test. Have an IT or Human Resources person send a mass email asking for employees’ passwords.
Your employees should know to NEVER give this info out. Even if it’s within the company. By testing the waters this way, you’ll be able to see who is following password protocol and (more importantly) who is not.
Password Solutions for Your Business
Maybe you don’t have the time to test your company’s security. LogMeOnce can help. They provide added security, easy login, mobile security management, and much more.
When your employees aren’t stressed about password security, they can get their jobs done. If you’re in need of cybersecurity support, hire it out to the pros. It’s a much better use of your valuable resources.
Don’t Stress About How to Remember Passwords
Weak passwords leave your personal and business accounts vulnerable to cyber attacks. Long passwords with multiple different characters are much more secure.
Worried about how to remember passwords? Base them off of something meaningful to you.
It’s ok to write those passwords down on physical paper. Just make sure they’re in a secure location. But don’t write them down word-for-word.
Create some kind of question or phrase that only you will recognize for your records.
Fight Back
When data breaches and hacks happen, victims are almost always on the defensive. Wouldn’t it be great if you could deliver a bit of payback to your hacker?
LogMeOnce has your answer. With SHOCK, your hacker’s mobile device will make obnoxious noises and alerts once they’re caught trying to steal your info.
How’s that for fighting back?
Password Manager to the Rescue
Wondering how to remember passwords? Enlist a password manager. At LogMeOnce, we’re passionate about keeping your information secure.
We also realize how tedious and frustrating it is to remember secure passwords for every one of your online accounts. That’s why we’ve made the process easy.
We have personal and business solutions to fit your needs. LogMeOnce’s patented, secure login solutions have what you need to get your work done.
We can help you securely replace your passwords with photo login, face ID, fingerprint, or PIN code. You can even keep using your passwords, we’ll just help you keep things secure.
Send us an email at sales@LogMeOnce.com. Students, enjoy 50% off our bundle. Let us partner with you today to keep your important information secure.
