Passphrases
Passwords are so last year with more than 10 million stolen passwords. When it’s only your credentials protecting your data - Passphrases are the only way to go!!
Passphrases are harder for bad guys to hack
Passphrases are harder for algorithms to break
Passphrases are easier for you to remember
Create a passphrase that you can always remember but that someone who follows you on social media won’t be able to guess. Here are some suggestions:
Create a process. Not all accounts are created equal. Create three buckets of accounts that require a password and plan accordingly:
General websites accounts - 8-11 characters
Embarrassing if it got out accounts - 12-15 characters
Financial, Medical, Critical Work accounts - 16 characters or more
Make it multi-word & as long as you can
Mix in some color (%*&@!#^)
Pick individual words/initials that matter to you but are not easily relatable.
Practice creating some passphrases before you need them. Pressure is not fun!
Examples*:
Smi+h 85 in W@shingto
Bro%n 3 goes R0# with m=
S3a.1999.w!ld.NZ:)
G0.Blue&Orange.we’ll.win
Elec+ricC@r2018SkyBlu=
*NIST SP 800-63-3 states that they must not match entries in the prohibited password dictionary. If you need help with this, please contact me.
Also, remember that Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) on any system helps ensure your security. Most MFA systems are easy to enable and use, which greatly reduce the chance of unwanted access through compromised passwords. Other tools to consider are password managers like LassPass,Keeper, 1Password, Dashlane and password generators for the most complex passphrases. Lastly, here’s a good site to check your passwords: https://haveibeenpwned.com/Passwords?