3rd August 2010, 12:13 AM
(This post was last modified: 3rd August 2010, 12:28 AM by Dark Jaguar.)
Protip: Use the "same" password for every site, just break it up so that you insert the name of the site in the middle of the password. You win at both password diversity and memorability. If the site has some really small limit for password size, like 8 characters or something that won't let you do that, they're not very secure.
So, PassTCWord (don't use that one). Add some numbers by converting the first letter of each "part" to a number. Extra secure, and you know how to figure out what the number is if you forget.
That leaves you with Pass16TC10Word23. Now that's Tonka Tough, and still easy to remember. (Don't use that one.)
The first rule is probably enough though, the second is only if you really want to make it extra tough, or if the site specifically requires you use a number in your password.
You can check a password's strength on this site: http://www.passwordmeter.com/ If you don't trust it, don't use any password you intend on using, just use it to test your "system". Even the cheap password I tossed out as an example with this system is rated %100 on it. http://howsecureismypassword.net/ This is another one, and it's basically telling you how long a typical PC "password guesser" will take to guess a password. The throwaway password will survive longer than it'll take the last proton to decay according to that site.
So, PassTCWord (don't use that one). Add some numbers by converting the first letter of each "part" to a number. Extra secure, and you know how to figure out what the number is if you forget.
That leaves you with Pass16TC10Word23. Now that's Tonka Tough, and still easy to remember. (Don't use that one.)
The first rule is probably enough though, the second is only if you really want to make it extra tough, or if the site specifically requires you use a number in your password.
You can check a password's strength on this site: http://www.passwordmeter.com/ If you don't trust it, don't use any password you intend on using, just use it to test your "system". Even the cheap password I tossed out as an example with this system is rated %100 on it. http://howsecureismypassword.net/ This is another one, and it's basically telling you how long a typical PC "password guesser" will take to guess a password. The throwaway password will survive longer than it'll take the last proton to decay according to that site.
"On two occasions, I have been asked [by members of Parliament], 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question." ~ Charles Babbage (1791-1871)