How to choose a Safe Password

Secure Password Selection

The importance of picking a good, secure password can't be emphasized enough. Your password is the way the computer verifies that someone logging in is really you, so choose something that cannot be guessed by others. One of the main causes of unauthorised access is that someone has guessed the password.

What Happens To People Who Choose Weak Passwords
If someone else obtains your passwords, they may start to use your account to see your private data, including email, your bank accounts, your phone messages; they could start to alter or destroy your files or they could take over your computer; and they might even perform illegal activities in your name -- in such cases, it is difficult to find out who the culprit is and you might be under suspicion.

The Basics
The following guidelines will guard against someone finding out your password and using your account illegally:
  1. Make your password as long as possible. The longer it is, the more difficult it will be to attack the password with a brute-force search. Always use at least 6 characters in your password, at least one of which is numeric.
  2. Use as many different characters as possible when forming your password. Choose letter and numbers. Choosing characters from the largest possible alphabet will make your password more secure.
  3. Do not use personal information in your password that someone else is likely to be able to figure out. Obviously, things like your name, phone number, and address are to be avoided. Even names of acquaintances and the like should not be used.
  4. Do not use words, geographical names, or biographical names that are listed in standard dictionaries.
  5. Never use a password that is the same as your login or account number.
  6. Do not use passwords that are easy to spot while you're typing them in. Passwords like 12345, qwerty or nnnnnn should be avoided.

Try This If You're Having Difficulty Selecting a Good Password
If you are having difficulty picking a good password, one good method is to use the first letter of each word in a phrase you can easily remember. For example, "Alta is my kind of place" would be Aimkop. Another method is to intentionally use misspelled words, or words with a number suffixed. Examples include: breakfast and kite276.

Here are some guidelines about what secure passwords should not include:

  • Your name
  • The name of you your spouse child, pet, friend, colleague or character, or indeed anyone’s name.
  • The name of the operating system you're using
  • The hostname of your computer
  • Your phone number
  • Your vehicle regitration number
  • Anybody's birth date
  • Other information that is easily obtained about you
  • A word in the English dictionary
  • A word in a foreign dictionary
  • A place
  • A proper noun
  • Passwords of all the same letter
  • Simple patterns on the keyboard, like qwerty
  • Any of the above spelled backwards
  • Any of the above followed or prepended by a single digit


    • Good passwords:

  • Have numerical characters as well as letters
  • Are easy to remember, so they do not have to be written down
  • Are seven or eight characters long
  • Can be typed quickly, so someone else cannot look over your shoulder

    • Advanced Password Strategies

    changing passwords -- some people say that changing your password every 30 days is a good rule-of-thumb, and you should never go longer than 90 days before picking a new password.

    The longer you wait before changing passwords, the more difficult it will be to get used to the new one. Whatever you do, do not reuse any previous password you have used, and do not write it down.