The typical online experience seems to fall into one of two categories: websites you just surf to or search your way to, and sites and services where you log in, using a username and password unique to you. More and more, it seems like the former group is dwindling while the latter is rapidly expanding. The reality is that, for the time being, passwords remain the most practical way to allow a user to access a site, ensuring, at least in theory, that the user is authorized to access the site under those credentials.
One big issue compromising the effectiveness of this system is us, the users, and the bad habits we’ve developed with passwords. Those bad habits are, namely, using short, simple, easily hackable passwords and using the same password for multiple accounts.
Information security experts have long advised that everyone should use long, unreadable, and unique passwords for each account they have online. Seems simple, right? All you need to do is create and remember 16-character, unreadable, unique passwords for something like 100 different online accounts. Or is it 240 online accounts?
It’s estimated that an eight-character password, that uses only uppercase and lowercase letters, would only take about 28 seconds to be cracked by a hacker with the computing means to do it. Adding numbers and special characters increases the time to five minutes. A 12-character password with all the same complexity would take 226 years to crack. Length is obviously a major asset with passwords, but the longer they get, the more difficult it can be to remember them.
It may seem humanly impossible for a human to remember unique 12-character, complex passwords for each of the 100-240 online accounts they maintain, and for most of us, it probably is. And experts advise us not to write them down in a notebook or on a note attached to our computer. That’s where password managers come in.
Password managers are programs that aid in the creation and secure storage of strong, unique passwords. There are several available in the Apple App Store and the Google Play App Store. The most popular seem to be BitWarden and 1Password. There’s even one built into the Apple iOS operating system. I won’t endorse one individually, but I will encourage you to research the available options and find a reputable resource that you trust to determine if there’s one that you feel comfortable using.
When you have found your preferred choice, gotten comfortable using it (YouTube is an invaluable resource here), and are taking advantage of the features built into it, you’ll be on your way to being a password superhuman. You’ll sleep easier knowing that all your passwords are unique to each account that you have, they’re all complex – using letters, numbers, and special characters – and they’re all over 16 characters long. The best part is you don’t have to remember any of them!