Use a Passphrase

Why should I use a random passphrase?

Because humans are terrible at creating secure passwords. The famous xkcd comic got it right: humans have been trained to use hard-to-remember passwords that are easy for computers to guess. ADVERTISEMENT Try as we might, humans usually end up using one of a few predictable patterns when creating passwords. We base them on things we can remember, such as names, locations, dates or just common English words.

Is it really that easy to crack a password? How is it done, exactly?

The method for cracking usually looks something like this: First, the hackers start with a bunch of wordlists. The top 10,000 passwords is a good place to start. Also, lists of all English words, all names, dates, and so on. In less than one second, 30% of all passwords will be cracked.

I get it, simple passwords are cracked easily. But why should I use a random passphrase instead of, say, ipz2!az8k%0h?

There are dozens of random password generators out there that will happily put together a bunch of random characters for you to use as a password. These random passwords are secure, but they're a huge pain to actually remember. Random passphrases provide the best combination of memorability and security.

Fine, you've convinced me. I'll use a passphrase. What else can I do to increase my security?

The recipe for perfect password management is straightforward. 1. Use a password manager. Firefox, Chrome, Safari and Internet Explorer all have built in password managers. But if you plan to use your passwords across devices, you probably should use one of these: 1 Password (Windows, Mac, iOS, Android) LastPass (iOS, Android; Chrome plugin works on Windows, Mac, Linux) KeePass (Linux, Windows, Mac, Android) 2.