Fix

Use This Infographic To Pick A Great Password

7:00AM January 17, 2012 | Adam Dachis


We always enjoy a useful infographic, and there are few things quite as important as choosing a strong password — at least in the area of online security. If you’re looking to beef up your passwords, here are plenty of tips consolidated into one great image.

Over the years we’ve suggested plenty of strong password tips, such as using a multi-word passphrase, only using passwords you can’t remember, utilising a password manager, and many more.

We thought it would be great to have all those tips in a single, easy-to-read format, so Killer Infographics put one together for us. If you’re looking to strengthen your existing passwords or change a recently compromised password, be sure to check it out in its entirety (what you can see above is just a fraction of it) by clicking the image or the link at the bottom. If you’re interested in reading more about the tips mentioned in this infographic, you can check them out here:

  1. Why Multi-Word Phrases Make More Secure Passwords Than Gibberish
  2. The Only Secure Password Is the One Your Can’t Remember
  3. Create Strong But Memorable Passwords With Wolfram Alpha
  4. How To Update Your Insecure Passwords, Make Them Easy To Use
  5. How To Stay Secure Online
  6. What Professional Password Guessers Look For In Your Password
  7. How To Choose And Remember Great Passwords That Live In Your Head

View the infographic in its entirety

This inforgraphic was designed and created by Killer Infographics.

Comments

  • Jackson Bison

    January 17, 2012 at 8:14 AM

    Waaaay too long for me to actually bother with

  • InformedGamer

    January 17, 2012 at 9:19 AM

    Read it, and turns out I have a terribly weak password, despite having capitals, numbers and symbols. fml

  • The Professional

    January 17, 2012 at 9:22 AM

    What a load of bollocks.

    Get Keepass, let it generate random chars for you, and set the expiry date to generate new ones.

    This article only apply to the one password for your keepass that you need to remember.

  • Steven

    January 17, 2012 at 9:32 AM

    I prefer correcthorsebatterystaple (http://xkcd.com/936/).

  • Gav

    January 17, 2012 at 10:06 AM

    I read this, I’m happy having a complicated password, but how on earth does one go about getting passwords for all the different accounts we use? Don’t say a password manager as I need them on my various computers, my iphone (including on non web-browsing apps, like email), my girlfriend’s iPad etc.

    Can someone suggest a good way of getting a good password ‘base’ that can then be customised per site? I basically have 3 passwords, one is a dictionary word (for sites I don’t care if they get comprimised, commenting on forums etc, sites I don’t totally trust), one more secure, and one that’s pretty secure, but I have no real way of not reusing it, even if it’s just changing the number at the end. Is that enough? How do you remember which password goes with what?

  • Knifeyspooney

    January 17, 2012 at 12:49 PM

    Best way I do it. Pick your favourite band, and use lyrics in the songs as passphrases.

  • warcroft

    January 17, 2012 at 1:18 PM

    I have a password system so I can have masses of different passwords, but remember what they all are.

    Pick a word, lets use ‘cat’
    Then a number, lets use ’123′
    Then the website in some form, initials, back to front, abbreviation or something.

    So Face book would be ‘cat123bookface’
    Ebay would be ‘cat123baye’
    and such and such.

    Of course the word and number would be longer and harder.
    You just remember your word and number.

    • warcroft

      January 17, 2012 at 1:19 PM

      Oh, and every 12 months I change my word and number.

      • Gav

        January 17, 2012 at 4:45 PM

        That’s a nice idea. It’s just remembering a coherent taxonomy for websites. Acronym’s are nice too. eg ThisIsDaveBrownsVeryNicePassword!4Gmail37 would be tiDBvnp!4g37. The only issue is that only one character (in this case g) would change from site to site. I don’t know if that’s enough?

        Just so. Many. Passwords. To change. I can see myself having an apathy attack, however having said that, the same password has been kicking around since 1999 (as random as it is) I think I need to do something about it….

  • Scoon

    January 17, 2012 at 4:22 PM

    So… use a passphrase, but not one that contains any dictionary words?

    Forget the infographic, just use keepass.

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