How to create and where to store a strong password

Cybersecurity is one of the most pressing issues in the modern world. Since each of us uses social networks, email, instant messengers and various online services, it is important to know how to reliably protect your data. And for owners of websites, online stores, blogs, secure access to accounts is an integral part of the successful existence of a business.

The main assistant in the fight for cybersecurity is a password that is difficult for hackers. We are sharing with you how to create a strong password, where and how to store it correctly, and what measures must be taken to ensure that it provides stable protection against intruders.

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Why is it important to store passwords correctly?

Using passwords is an important part of working with any software or resource. Moreover, passwords are an integral part of the company's information security. They protect user accounts, user data, and access to it. Using a weak password can lead to unauthorized persons gaining access to the data. It can also disrupt the operation of information systems of other companies (for example, a hosting provider).

Therefore, company employees, suppliers, contractors or visitors - all users who have access to the company's information systems are responsible for the secure creation of passwords and their protection.

What are weak and strong passwords

Each of us uses passwords for many purposes. The most common of them are logging into a computer, e-mail, authorization on various web resources, and the like. With only a few exceptions, there are systems with one-time passwords. Mostly we use passwords multiple times, so every user should know the requirements for creating strong passwords help desk it jobs.

Let's take a closer look at what a secure password should be and what combinations should be avoided.

Signs of a weak password:

contains less than 12 characters;

word from the dictionary;

a word used in everyday life, for example, the names or surnames of friends, colleagues, actors or fairy-tale characters, animal nicknames;

computer term, command, site name, hardware or software;

variations of company name or brand name;

birthday or other personal information, such as address, phone number, etc .;

regular sequences of characters and numbers, for example, 111111, abcde, qwerty, and the like;

any of the above in reverse;

any of the above with the addition of a digit at the beginning or at the end.

For example, among the most common passwords around the world, the following combinations and words have remained for many years: 123456, 123456789, 123123, 123321, 111111, password, qwerty, qwerty123, iloveyou, princess, admin. Passwords often contain names of sweets or car brands, for example, cocacola, snickers, mercedes, ferrari. Heroes from films and cartoons, in particular superman and spiderman, as well as the names of popular world groups (for example, metallica), are also in the lead. Unfortunately, in 2019, the trend remains unchanged. The list has just been replenished with No less used words, for example, football, monkey, donald, charlie.

Now let's look at what elements a strong password should consist of.

Characteristic features of a strong password:

contains large and small letters;

contains large and small letters;

contains numbers and symbols;

more than 8 characters long;

is not a word in any of the languages, dialects, jargons, slang;

is not based on personal information.

Also, a secure password should not be stored in paper or electronic form without appropriate media protection.