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Passwords, Picking a good one, and keeping it safe

Posted by Stephen Almeida on 1 February 2012 | 0 Comments

Tags: password, it services, security

Welcome to the inaugural Almeida & Associates blog post.

Everything in life, it seems, needs a password. With all these demands, it is too easy to settle on a password and use it over and over again. It saves us the trouble of struggling to remember passwords in critical situations.

With a little training and some thoughtfulness, passwords can be unique and different and memorable.

There are some common, and simple principles to follow. Where ever possible:

• Pick passwords longer than 8 characters
• Pick a mix of Capital, lower case, numbers and characters (i.e. !,@,# etc.)
• Never pick dictionary words, even if they are from another language
• Use a mnemonic to help remember complex passwords (ex. MyR3dC@r! - My Red Car)
• Change passwords regularly
• Avoid using the same password over multiple sites
• Don't share passwords with anyone
• Avoid online password creators

The best tip: Never leave passwords on Post-It notes on Monitors, Keyboards, Desk drawers.

With a little effort that next password change at work becomes simpler, and the passwords will be stronger.