We constantly struggle to get our clients to stop writing down their passwords on sticky notes by the computers. Obviously this is a security risk. Another bad habit is choosing really easy-toremember passwords such as “password.”
But admittedly, it CAN be hard remembering all of those passwords that are always changing. To solve this little dilemma, we’re suggesting to our clients to stop using passwords and use “pass-phrases.”
What is a “pass-phrase” you ask? They are letters and numbers put together in an easy-toremember phrase such as “!YEAHGoBlue!”
These are MUCH easier to remember than a random cluster of letters and numbers, which means you won’t have to write them down on a post-it note anymore! Plus, they’re much more secure than using a birthday or child’s name.
Pass-phrases can be built from anything, such as favorite quotes, lines from movies, sports team names, a favorite athlete’s name and jersey number, kids’ names and birthdates, pets, and so on.
Here’s some other examples that would be easy for you to remember, but hard for a hacker or criminal to guess:
ILike!ceTea
T&lkingOnTh3Phone
d3tro1tHockey
goneWithth3w!nd
Git-r-don3!!
Detroit-R3D-Wings
All you need to do is be a little creative to get numbers, letters and punctuation into the phrase. All of the normal suggestions remain the same – don’t make a password exclusively a birthday or child’s name, and always include special letters and punctuation.
Since introducing this to our clients, we’ve found (believe it or not) they actually have fun doing this, and at the same time, are making their networks more secure!