A weak password is the easiest way into your email, your social accounts or your documents. Creating good passwords isn't hard if you follow a method.
What makes a password strong
- Length: the longer, the better. For important accounts, 16 characters or more.
- Randomness: avoid names, dates and common words with a number at the end.
- Uniqueness: a different password for every account.
How to generate one
Open the password generator, choose the length and character types, and copy the result. It's generated in your browser using the browser's own secure random generator, and it isn't stored or sent anywhere. The page shows a strength estimate in bits: more bits means harder to guess by brute force.
If a site doesn't accept symbols, uncheck them and increase the length. You can also avoid look-alike characters, such as O and 0.
Where to store them
A password manager is the best option: it remembers your passwords for you and you only need to memorize one main password. Avoid keeping them in unprotected notes or sending them through the same channel as the data they protect.
Use them to protect files
With a strong password you can protect a PDF before sending it. If you later receive a protected PDF and you know the password, you can remove it to save the file unlocked. If you forget the password of a PDF you protected yourself, there's no way to recover it.
A practical case: sharing the Wi-Fi
You can create a long Wi-Fi password and share it with a QR code, so your guests can connect without having to type it.