How To Make Passwords More Secure

Are you still relying on "123456" or your birth year as your password? It is imperative to change this practice. Utilizing weak and frequently used passwords significantly increases your vulnerability to hacking. Fortunately, you can enhance your password security by following these steps. 

1 Acknowledge the Problem 

The initial step towards enhancing password security is recognizing that your existing practices may not be sufficiently secure. But how can you determine this? There are several clear indicators that suggest a problem with your password security, such as:

 1. Reusing the same password across multiple accounts 

2. Recording your passwords in a physical notebook 

3. Incorporating personal details into your passwords

 4. Selecting passwords that are easily memorable.

 If any of these apply to you, your current password practices are exposing you to potential risks. Having identified the problem, it is now essential to strengthen and secure your passwords. 

2 Pick a Password Manager

Upon recognizing the problem, the subsequent action is to allow technology to handle the more laborious tasks. Unlike the early days of the internet when individuals typically managed only a few accounts, it is now common to have numerous online accounts. Therefore, utilizing a password manager is essential for effectively managing all these distinct passwords

. In essence, a password manager is a software application that securely stores all your login information within an encrypted vault, offering a more efficient and secure method for password management. This will serve as the primary repository for all your account passwords. Furthermore, contemporary password managers are capable of generating robust and secure passwords and often include features such as password sharing for enhanced convenience.

3 Set Up Your Password Manager

 

After selecting a password manager, the next step is to configure it. Begin by establishing a robust master password, which serves as the key to access your password manager. This master password is crucial to remember, so ensure it is lengthy, distinctive, and difficult to guess—avoiding easily identifiable information such as birthdays or pet names. 

The most effective strategy is to utilize a passphrase, which can help you sidestep common errors associated with setting up a password manager. A passphrase consists of a series of words that is generally longer than a standard password and is used for authentication purposes. Create a unique and memorable sentence, then modify some letters with special characters to enhance the strength of your master password. For instance, 1Lik3Sunshine$Over-Mountains42 exemplifies a passphrase that is lengthy, easy to remember, and incorporates numbers, symbols, as well as both lowercase and uppercase letters.

 It is essential to configure a recovery email to assist in regaining access in the event that you forget your master password. Additionally, ensure that you install the applications of your password manager on your devices. This includes both the desktop and mobile applications, as well as the browser extension for your preferred desktop browser, if it is available.

4 Begin Migrating Your Existing Passwords 

The most effective password managers offer options to assist you in importing passwords from your web browser or other password management tools. However, if you are beginning anew, you will need to manually input your existing passwords. If you possess numerous accounts, there is no need to add all of them simultaneously; you may choose to transfer a few accounts each day. It is advisable to prioritize your most critical accounts, such as email, banking, social media, e-commerce, and professional accounts.

 For the remaining websites, you can gradually allow your password manager to automatically save your login information as you access them and log in or register. Over time, your password manager will accumulate login credentials for all your accounts. Once you achieve this, it is an opportune moment to create a backup of your password manager.

5 Enable Additional Security Features 

 To improve the security of your password vault, which is conveniently stored in your password manager, the next step is to activate two-factor authentication (2FA). This additional security measure ensures that even if your master password is breached, your vault remains protected. Additionally, certain password managers provide the option to require re-entry of the master password before accessing individual passwords.

6 Maintain Strong Security Habits 

Utilizing a password manager for storing your passwords is an important initial measure. However, it is not sufficient on its own. Moving forward, it is crucial to implement a strategy that guarantees the security of your vault and passwords. 

This strategy should involve quarterly reviews of your passwords, updating essential passwords every three to four months, and consistently maintaining your password manager. Certain password managers provide security assessments, often referred to as password vault health, to detect weak or duplicated passwords; it is advisable to take advantage of these features. Additionally, it is important to refrain from reusing passwords and to rely on a password manager for generating robust and secure passwords.