How To Create Strong Yet Memorable Passwords

Remember the days when it was perfectly acceptable to uses your mother’s maiden name or your date of birth as your password?

Since the computer password was first introduced in the 1960s, many people have prioritised memorability above security. In fact, 14% of people use a person’s name as their password, 8% use a place name and 25% use a word that can be found in the dictionary such as ‘monkey’ or ‘password’. Although these passwords are easy to remember, they’re not as secure as complex logins incorporating a variety of letters, numbers and symbols.

If the thought of using a complicated password fills you with dread, read on for our top tips to ensure your data’s secure without the headache of remembering insanely long logins:

Use your favourite TV show in your password

Are you obsessed with Game of Thrones? Can’t switch off The Walking Dead? You could incorporate your favourite show into your password. Having GOTDrag0n! or R1ckTWD! is a good start.

The more characters you have, the stronger your password will be. So you could incorporate a popular phrase from the TV show. “You know nothing Jon Snow” would become yknJSGOTDrag0n while “Winter is coming” could be W1nter1sCom1ng!GOT. By replacing some letters with numbers, you’re onto a winner.

If you tend to use passwords like Rover123 or QWERTY, the examples above may look terrifyingly complicated, but you’ll be amazed how quickly you’ll memorise them. When you first create the password, write it down somewhere safe until you’ve gotten into the habit of typing it in.

Use a memorable song or phrase

Take the chorus of your favourite song and use the first letter of each word within your password. Don’t forget to use a mixture of capital and lowercase letters along with special characters and numbers if possible. For example, Bohemian Rhapsody fans could go for “IjapbnlmHJAPBF4PF!”

Although this may seem like a really long password, you’ll be surprised how easy it is to remember. The hardest part will be trying not to burst into song at your desk each morning.

Don’t let your security questions let you down

If you forget your password or you’re trying to log into an online banking account, you may be required to answer security questions. Whether you choose to disclose the name of your first teacher or your favourite food, be sure to throw some letters and special characters into the mix to make your answers tougher to crack. When you’ve gone to the effort of making creative and strong passwords, the last thing you want is for your security questions to let you down.

Remember, most passwords can be reset with access to your email

If you create a lengthy password only to forget it, it’s not the end of the world. Most of the time, passwords can be reset as long as you have access to the email account you signed up with.

Since your email is the gateway to most of your accounts, it makes sense to make your email password as complicated (yet memorable) as possible so that only you have access to it. Again, don’t be afraid of writing it down somewhere safe and secure.

For more tips on keeping your data safe and secure, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the team at Prism.