Tips I’m sharing with family and friends. I use a password manager (LastPass) and MFA for all accounts that have monetary or business value (including Amazon, Google, all accounts that involve money).
Password Recommendations
- The smartest choice for all users is to pick unique passwords for every site.
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Password managers are ideal for people in the habit of re-using passwords, because:
- You only need remember one (strong) master password to access all of your stored credentials.
- If you don’t trust password managers and have trouble remembering complex passwords, consider relying instead on password length.
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Focus on picking passphrases instead of passwords.
- Passphrases are collections of multiple (ideally unrelated) words mushed together.
- Add numbers and special characters if required – example: Eat figs daily99!
- Passphrases are not only generally more secure, they have the added benefit of being easier to remember.
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Enable Multi-factor Authentication (MFA) for all accounts that support it (bank, credit cards, Amazon, Google).
- This approach adds a second step to the sign in process, usually in the form of a confirmation text sent to your phone, a security question, or a token provided by authenticator apps.
- MFA provides another layer of security to your password that doesn’t rely on you to remember anything.
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Finally, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with writing down your passwords, provided
- You do not store them in a file on your computer or taped to your laptop
AND - Your password notebook is stored somewhere relatively secure – not in a purse or car, but a locked drawer or safe.
Reference Links
World Password Day 2021: ‘123456’ is still a bad idea
https://www.acronis.com/en-us/blog/posts/world-password-day-2021-123456-still-bad-idea
The Wages of Password Re-use: Your Money or Your Life
https://krebsonsecurity.com/2021/05/the-wages-of-password-re-use-your-money-or-your-life/