13 Tips For Making Passwords Less Hackable

• Here are thirteen ideas for creating passwords that are less hackable:
• Change Your Password Frequently
• Utilize a Password Manager
• Mix in Lowercase and Uppercase Letters
• Try Google Chrome Password Suggestions
• Use Phrases Or Names Only You Are Familiar With
• Set Up Two Factor Authentication
• Make The Password Long
• Never Save Your Passwords On Chrome
• Avoid Personal Information
• Incorporate Simple, Memorable Words
• Add a Plain Space
• Avoid Using Your Birthday
• Use a Password Generator

Change Your Password Frequently 

One way to make your passwords less hackable is to change them every couple of months. If you use the same password for years on end and with multiple accounts, you’re more likely to be a victim of a data breach. Changing your passwords on a more frequent basis will help you to stay one step ahead of hackers and ensure your security.

Tom Mumford, Undergrads

Utilize a Password Manager

Most people forget the vast amount of passwords they use across all of their logins, so rather than keeping your information on a document, consider using a password manager. These are softwares that can both generate strong passwords and store them for you. No need to worry about your password manager getting hacked as well - your password vault is encrypted and can only be accessed with your unique master password. Most password manager programs are free to use and will also notify you when you have a weak password, if there are any duplicates that need to be updated, or even if you have a compromised password.

Jacob Dayan, Community Tax

Mix in Lowercase and Uppercase Letters

Passwords have become increasingly easy to hack, despite cybersecurity awareness becoming more prevalent. One tip for making passwords less hackable is to have a mix of lowercase and uppercase letters within the word or jumble of letters you choose. Many people tend to use an uppercase letter as the first letter of their password, making it easier for a hacker to decipher. Try heightening your security by mixing uppercase letters in the middle of your password, alongside numbers and/or symbols.

Saneem Ahearn, Colorescience

Try Google Chrome Password Suggestions

Google Chrome offers strong, complex password suggestions that save to the browser. Unique passwords that are simply a random combination of numbers, letters, and characters are less likely to be guessed than common or weak passwords. Moreover, Google Chrome makes it easy to save and autofill your passwords. This means you can have unique, strong passwords for every login you have and if someone gets one of your passwords you are not completely vulnerable on all of your online accounts.

Wesley Jacobs, Apollo Medical Travel

Use Phrases Or Names Only You Are Familiar With

One of the greatest tips I have ever received for making your passwords less hackable is to use phrases, or names of people, pets, places, etc., that only you are familiar with on a daily basis. While it's always fun to share the things that you love and talk about them with others, it's also good to make sure to save one phrase or name that only you can always remember and know it would be hard for others to guess. Examples of this could be creating passwords with your a relative's name, best friend's name, your pet's name, a favorite movie, a favorite song, the name of your favorite city, lake, building, a specific structure, etc.

James Burati, 1-800-PackRat

Set Up Two Factor Authentication

Setting up a two step verification is probably the best way to make any of your accounts extremely secure. However, if you do not feel like setting up a two step verification (I totally understand because it can be annoying), making your password longer and including more symbols is an easy way to make your accounts more secure. Having different passwords can be helpful as well, although it can make things a bit more confusing sometimes.

Connor MacDonald, The Ridge Wallet

Make The Password Long

As a business that has individual customer accounts, we are always looking for ways for them to improve their security, and that is why we recommend that their passwords be at least 14 characters in length. People make the mistake of believing that hackers are just using tricks of the trade, yet in actuality, they utilize software that can decipher a 7 character password in less than a second. However, by creating a password that is over a 14 character combination, you can extend the time of a hack from less than one second, to literally centuries. By simply making the effort to create a longer password, you can make stealing your password nearly impossible and ensure yourself fewer headaches in the future.

Cody Candee, Bounce

Never Save Your Passwords On Chrome

My best tip for making your passwords less hackable isn’t something that you should affirmatively do, but actually something you shouldn’t do. And that is to never allow Google to save your passwords. If you have Google save your passwords when browsing Chrome, or any other platform using the common “remember this device” framework for that matter, you are setting yourself up for loss. If you ever lose your laptop, tablet or phone, you are screwed. Hackers will instantly have all your passwords and login data. And not just for one website or account - for all of them. So my best advice is to take the extra 3 seconds and type in your password each time.

John Ross, Test Prep Insight

Avoid Personal Information

Avoid using personal information like phone numbers, birthdays, or family or pet names in your passwords. These can be easily guessed by hackers and can give them easier access to your accounts. Use a good mix of numbers and symbols, as well as upper and lower case letters to make your passwords more difficult to guess.

Brett Sohns, LifeGoal Investments

Incorporate Simple, Memorable Words

Using complicated combinations of letters, numbers, and punctuation won’t help if you end up saving the passwords to a Word document on your computer. For that reason, simple, memorable words tend to be the safest for passwords. Rarely are passwords actually hacked–for the most part they’re retrieved with other personal info through phishing or are guessed simply because the passwords are obvious. So, while picking your password, make sure it isn't any common combinations like “Password” or “Qwerty.”

Dan Bladen, Kadence

Add a Plain Space

Add a plain space—this is not often done but can make a huge difference towards making a password less hackable. Example: If your password is "seame_123" simply change it to " seame_ 123.” That simple tip can make a password very difficult to hack.  Ideally, you’ll want to compliment this with a mixture of letters, numbers, and even symbols for extra protection. Funny how something as trivial as a plain space can add so much strength to your password.

Datha Santomieri, Steadily

Avoid Using Your Birthday

Avoid using your birthday as a password. This is an easy and predictable way for hackers to guess your code on the first or second try. For password security, consider using a pet's birthday, or a significant other's so it's not so obvious. Hackers are less likely to guess codes of direct family members, especially if it's a furry friend.

Lillie Sun, Three Ships Beauty

Use a Password Generator

Use a password generator or a dependable password management program to generate strong passwords for your accounts. A good password generator will create passwords that are difficult to guess and therefore, less likely to be hacked.  Generators are programmed to use a combination of lowercase letters, special symbols and all types of random combinations. Additionally, be sure to use different passwords for each of your online accounts. This will help to ensure that if one account is hacked, the hacker will not be able to access your other accounts. Finally, be sure to keep your passwords safe and secure by not sharing them with others and never writing them down.

Hector Ruiz, BBQ Grill Academy

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At Thrivacy we believe that self-sovereign identity is your right as an indiviual. We frequently publish posts on decentralization, verifiable credentials,  digital wallets, and more.