Passwords

Why strong passwords matter

When multi-factor authentication (MFA) isn’t available, a strong password or passphrase is often the only protection for your accounts and personal information. Passphrases work best when they are long, hard to guess, and unique.

Short passwords are easy for attackers to crack quickly. You can make it much harder by using a passphrase instead. A good passphrase should include four or more random words and be at least 15 characters long. Strong passphrases have no gaps, use numbers, special characters and lower and upper case letters.

To make them memorable without being predictable, avoid using common phrases or song lyrics. Choose unrelated words and imagine a funny picture or story that connects them.

Some examples of strong passphrases may look like:

• blue!river$stone#cloud7
• happy4forest&moon*light
• music#chair8green&star

Though, these examples are like recipes in a cookbook—great for inspiration, but do not serve them as is! Spice things up and create your own unique passphrases by following the simple golden rules for strong passwords below.

Golden rules for strong passwords