Online life has become an addiction for socialization, paying invoices, online shopping, information and communications, and to be fully protected, we must know how we choose strong passwords that are difficult to guess or find out.

The next step Al Security of online accounts will definitely be biometric authentication. Instead of remembering a few or maybe even dozens of passwords, simple fingerprint, Vocal imprint or facial recognition and scanning of the iris will be sufficient as Let's authenticate on an online account or in an application. Until then, we are dependent on passwords, which of course are the targets of cyber attacks. From the access passwords in the bank applications, passwords of the email accounts and to those on forums and social networks, all means money for an intentional hacker.

I know well that for many Internet users is pretty stressful To keep in mind complicated passwords and most of the time I choose simple words, but the first reduced in front of cyber attacks is awareness. Awareness.

Awareness it means caution to access Web pages with questionable content, not to open links sent by friends or unknown on social networks, WhatsApp, SMS or email. Prudence means updated updates of operating systems and last but not least SA We choose strong passwords for Online accounts.

In today's article we will stop at Choosing passwords For email accounts, social networks, forums, online stores and other platforms.

How we choose strong passwords for bank applications, social networks and other online accounts

Unique passwords for every online account

First of all, It is not a good idea to use the same password for multiple online accounts. For example, when creating a new account on a website, do not choose a password you use and email, bank applications or social networks. Websites are often the target of cyber attacks, and the most valuable information sought by hackers are also the passwords of the accounts on the victim website. Finding the user passwords on the website, that password will definitely be tried at several accounts that belong to you.

In the period 2013 – 2016, yahoo! It was the target of cyber attacks, and the data with the user and password of over 1 billion users have been sold on Darknet. Throughout the entire existence of Yahoo! billions of accounts were compromised (Wikipedia). By the way, you still have an email address on @yahoo.com.

If you make a new account on an anonymous website, you will definitely not know who will manage the account data and if the passwords are encrypted or can be seen by the administrator. You account on the example.com website, but you use the same password you have on your email account or on another website. A mistake that many Internet users make, without realizing that in this way they expose their credentials towards third parties.

The best idea is to use the unique password for each account. I know it's hard to remember several passwords, but it is one of the security measures.

Passphrase – How we choose strong passwords made up of expressions

Expressions are the easiest to remember, and they form strong passwords (PASSPHRASE) through the large number of characters. If in combination with the letters Use a few digits and special characters, then security is guaranteed. “I.have.a.crazy.cat!2009“. A password of 23 characters in which you can say about your cat, with the year of her birth.

It is very important to have a complex password, consisting of upper case, lower case letters, numbers and special characters. Most of the applications for breaking passwords use the method Brute Force. In short, it's a speech generator which try millions of combinations until it reaches the right one. The more the password contains the password, the lower the chances of being. In fact, many online services no longer allow new users to choose simple accounts for accounts. Pasphrase is about how we choose strong passwords for accounts.

Passwords easy to guess

The simplest passwords are the ones containing the names of the children, but pets, birth data and other names that are on our lips every day. These are the easiest to remember but they are the easiest to guess, representing a security problem.

A short password, considered at least 8 characters, must contain both lowercase and upper case letters. In addition, it is mandatory in combination to enter at least one figure and a special character. An example of such password is: “Myc47?22”. The password that could be associated with “My cat? 2022“.

Related: How do you protect passwords against phishing on Windows 11

Extensions and applications (Password Management Tool)

There are some applications that help you remember the passwords, also offering strong password suggestions. Applications such as LastPass and 1Password It gives you some tools to generate strong believers. These are saved online, so based on an account you have access to them anywhere, both from the computer and from the smartphone or iPhone. In addition they have browser extensions through which you can automatically authenticate with the data saved in the password administrator.

Google Password Manager It is also a good solution, especially if you use Google Chrome. Based on the Google account you have access from anywhere and from any device to the authentication credentials.

Apple's owners have a handy Keychain Access For Mac. A password manager who synchronizes in icloud Credentials on all devices that have authenticated the same Apple ID. Thus a password saved on Mac For the online store will be available on iPad or iPhone to access with safari. In addition, when we create an online account, we are suggested powerful passwords that are automatically saved in iCloud.

Authentication with two factors (2Fa)

Even if it is something more complicated for many, two -factors authentication (Two Factor Authentication / 2FA) is recommended for added security.
2FA it assumes that, in addition to the password, a code (token) must be generated that changes automatically every few seconds. Authentication will be based on the password and a token code generated on the application.

As an application for the generation of 2FA HAVE Google Authenticator for smartphone and iPhone. When we activate two-factor authentication, a QR code will be generated that we must scan with the application. After scanning, the account will be immediately added to Google Authenticator.

It is very important that before deleting the application from the phone or if you change the phone, you make a backup of the accounts in Google Authenticator.

For iOS and iPadOS I recommend the application 2FAS Auth. This saves the 2FA credentials in iCloud. So if you lose your iPhone or uninstall the application, the 2FA credentials remain iCloud and they will be automatically imported during the reinstallation 2FAS Auth.

A future without passwords

Apple works at a new password -free authentication system, which we talked about on iHowTo.Tips.
Passkeys It involves authentication based on biometric identification, eliminating all passwords.