Learn how to strengthen your password with a passphrase!
People who continue to use weak passwords are easy targets for cybercriminals. Without a strong password, cybercriminals could gain access to your personal data, your accounts and even your identity. Updating your password to a passphrase can help to protect your accounts better.
What is a Passphrase?
A passphrase uses four or more random words put together to create a variety of strong passwords. For example, ‘fox garlic mud house’ or ‘sky field water train’.
From these passphrases, you could create passwords such as:
FoxGarlicMudHouse – capitalising the first letters of each word
F0xGarl1cMuDH0u53 – beginning to add in numbers instead of letters
FoGaMuHo – shortening your passphrase by only using the first two letters of each word
F0xG@rl!cMuDH0u53 – adding a mixture of capitals, symbols and numbers to spell your passphrase
And the list goes on!
How do I create a strong Passphrase?
You can create a strong passphrase by making it
- long
- unpredictable
- unique
The best way to strengthen your passphrase is by using different symbols, numbers and capital letters; depending on the websites or services’ password conditions, you can often use a combination of these.
Should I use a Password Manager?
Remembering multiple passwords or passphrases can be overwhelming and difficult as you accumulate multiple accounts for different services. Using a password manager, such as Password Boss, can help keep your passwords secure, easy to find and prevent using the same password across multiple accounts.
Where to Find More Resources
The ACSC has various resources available, including how to create a strong passphrase and using password managers. We have linked a few for you below, but you can also explore their website for more password and cybersecurity information.
- Guidance on passphrases and password managers
- Passphrases video
- Creating strong passphrases
- Set secure passphrases
- Quick wins for your password manager.
Get in touch with our team today for more information on cybersecurity and how we can help you with yours!