Five Golden Rules on Choosing a Strong Password

A rule of thumb is advice that has been tried and proven to be applicable in many different situations. You don’t need to figure things out for yourself, just follow the Golden Rule. Why take the time to discover something for yourself, the hard way, when you can learn from others?

So here are five proven golden rules for choosing a strong password.

Golden rule n. 1:

Your password must be at least 6-8 characters long and must not have consecutive identical characters. There are actually two rules, but they both have to do with the length and content of your password. Sounds so obvious, doesn’t it? Implement this simple tip, and yet many people just set a password like “AAAABBBB” and hope for the best. And remember, don’t use all the numbers or all the letters – stay away from “12345678” or “ABCDEFG” (and trust me, I’ve come across both examples!

Golden rule n. 2:

is to avoid recycling old passwords. This can affect you in the future because the word gets out. For example, for a year or two I used my apartment number and street as my password. It was easily memorable for me. But of course it was also easy to discover, as I discovered at my expense when I suffered identity theft on my auction site account. Make sure and don’t forget that not changing your passwords regularly will be something you might regret.

Golden rule n. 3:

Change all default passwords for providers. This is essential because mobile phones, for example, are easily stolen. If you didn’t change the default password on your cell phone (often ‘0000’), you’ll end up with a hefty fee when your next bill arrives.

Golden rule n. 4:

Use a password generator. There are several ways to do this, including purchasing software that will generate random numbers and characters that go beyond a series that you can choose yourself. Many accounts that require passwords will accept passwords of up to 16 characters, a more difficult sequence to break than one of just six or eight.

If you don’t want to buy software, why not check the series of letters and numbers that usually accompany a browser address, such as “A3P5ROKL5A1OLE” (I copied it from an online bookseller after clicking on a book that interested me. It’s part of a much longer sequence and I just randomly copied a section.

Golden rule n. 5:

is to change your passwords at regular intervals. You can achieve this by setting a forwarding alarm on your phone or in your PC diary. It can be very important as third-party attacks on computers are increasing exponentially and regular password changes ensure that you raise the bar for phishing and identity theft. This will almost certainly involve investing in antivirus software and keeping it up to date.

Before finishing, do not use any of the above passwords.

So follow these golden rules for choosing a strong password and you’ll feel more secure, secure knowing that you’ve acted responsibly to protect your most valuable asset – yourself.