One of the most common ways that hackers break into computers is by guessing passwords with a bot. Simple and commonly used passwords enable intruders to easily gain access and control of your computing devices like laptop, mobile phone and whatnot.
On the other hand, a difficult-to-guess password makes it prohibitively difficult for hackers to break into your device and consequently forces them to look for another target. The more difficult the password, the lower the likelihood that your computer will fall victim to uninvited guests.
If you’re someone who uses one password for all your online accounts, or an easy-to-guess one because you’re afraid of forgetting it, below are 3 simple steps on how to create impossible-to-guess but easy-to-remember passwords.
Step 1 – Decide on 6 Numbers You Will Always Use
It can be your date of birth in numbers (eg: 140786), or your postal code (237490). As long as they are something you can remember, any 6 numbers will do.
Before you think it’s easy to guess, read on…
Step 2 – Convert 3 Numbers into Symbols
Using the above postal code as example, you can convert 237490 to @#&490. The symbols “@, #, and & are the corresponding symbols above the numbers found in the keyboard.
Step 3 – Create Your Impossible-to-Guess Password
Let’s say you want to create a password with 10 characters, use the 1st 4 characters of the domain or app name and the 6 characters you’ve decided in Step 2.
Example:
- For facebook.com, your password will be Face@#&490;
- For instagram.com, your password will be Inst@#&490;
- For twitter.com, your password will be Twit@#&490;
- For amazon.com, your password will be Amaz@#&490; and
- So and so forth.
Step 4 – Confirm with Password Meter
Now you have a password that consists of alphabets, numbers and symbols – an almost impossible to guess password!
You can go here to check how strong is the password you’ve just created.
Some FAQs
- What if the domain only has 2 letters, like me.com?
You can use Meco (co being the first 2 character of .com) plus the 6 characters you’ve decided in Step 2. - What if the account doesn’t allow symbols?
You can use a combination of word and number as your common 6 characters. Eg: DESIGN can be D3s1gn, SHARED can be 5har3d, and REASON can be R3a50n.
999 Different Passwords for 999 Accounts
Now all you need is to remember 6 common characters and you can have as many different passwords for all your different online accounts as you like!
There you have it! Creating an impossible-to-guess, but easy to remember password is not rocket science, is it?
