How to choose a safe password and help protect your devices

Fraudsters can guess two out of three passwords easily!

Fraudsters can gain access to many accounts because they have simply been able to guess the correct log in details, using a system that generates common passwords.

Fraudsters with so-called 'Brute Force' software can make 8 million password guesses a second! The software is very sophisticated - it uses words from English dictionaries as well as other languages and even tests the words again changing letters such as 'a' to '@' along with other common substitutions.

Despite adding symbols in this way to try to make our passwords safer - around two thirds of our passwords can be guessed quickly!

 

Don't use just one real word

Forget passwords - think passphrase. To help make it harder for fraudsters to crack your passwords and gain access to your accounts, create a long password, one that isn't simply a dictionary word, and mix it up with capitals and numbers.

This sounds like you must create a password that will later be impossible to remember, however if you use one of the following methods you should easily be able to come up with some safe passwords you'll never forget:

 

1. Person-Action-Object method

Usually when coming up with a new password, people choose a specific word which may be meaningful to them, or if the system requires a combination of numbers and a capital letter they will simply use the word with a capital at the front and a number afterwards.

Using this method, why not instead of thinking of a word, think of a memorable scenario described by three words in the order of person-action-object.

For example:

Use the first three letters of each word to create your password. The password will look something like this:

The thought put into this will even help you remember the password without having to write it down.

 

2. Sentences about you

A secure password should be at least 12 digits long or more if possible. Since using a word isn't a good idea, think of a short sentence about you, and expand on the information a little - then take the first letter of each word.

For example:

The first flat I lived in was in Golden Mile View. The rent was £525

The above sentence will give you:

 

3. Make it backwards

If you want to use words rather than a phase, spell it backwards so it won't be guessed when trying dictionary words.

For example:

Becomes...

 

After using some of the ideas above, you can test your password to see how safe it is using our password checker.

 

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