Man with apple on head with arrow through it.Why do you need a strong password?  Maybe you think you’re not important enough to get hacked. Well, that’s not true, you are a target. 

It’s not people who hack your site.  Your site will be attacked by automated scripts that scan the Internet for all available information about you and then take educated guesses about what your password would be.  These scripts are very smart.  Whether these attacks are successful depends on the strength of your passwords.  (SPOILER ALERT:  Be sure to read the part at the end about www.lastpass.com.    It’s a free service that manages all your passwords.  I’m hooked on it.)

blonde coming up with strong password

 

Once hacked, your website server will be used to launch millions of spam.  Your server will get blacklisted and your email will stop working.  Worse yet, everyone sharing your server will be blacklisted.

LastPass

Strong Password Tips

  • Don’t use pet names
  • Don’t use birth dates
  • Don’t use children’s names
  • Do use upper and lower case characters, and
  • Do use numbers, and
  • Do use punctuation.
  • Don’t create any password list on your computer, viruses seek these out
  • Don’t email passwords (Use www.LastPass.com)
  • If you write down passwords, keep them out of view
  • Don’t use the same password for everything
  • Have a master password that you vary slightly for different sites
  • Do change your passwords from time to time.  (www.LastPass.com  will keep track of this for you.)

One tip is to use a different password for each website.  What I do is have one “root” password and append a few characters to make it unique to that site.  Let’s say my main password is ThtfTftm!?7566.  Then my password for Ebay would be ThtfTftm!?7566eb.  My password for Citibank would be ThtfTftm!?7566cb.

Read review of LastPass vs. its competition

https://www.androidauthority.com/dashlane-vs-lastpass-1110550/

LastPass Logo

Another solution is to use a password service such as www.lastpass.com.  I’ve been using this, and I must admit I’m hooked.  And it’s free.

Another Password Joke

WINDOWS: Please enter your new password.

USER: cabbage

WINDOWS: Sorry, the password must be more than 8 characters.

USER: boiled cabbage

WINDOWS: Sorry, the password must contain 1 numerical character.

USER: 1 boiled cabbage

WINDOWS: Sorry, the password cannot have blank spaces.

USER: 50bloodyboiledcabbages

WINDOWS: Sorry, the password must contain at least one upper case character.

USER: 50BLOODYboiledcabbages

WINDOWS: Sorry, the password cannot use more than one upper case character consecutively.

USER: 50BloodyBoiledCabbagesShovedUpYourAssIfYouDon’tGiv eMeAccessNow!

WINDOWS: Sorry, the password cannot contain punctuation.

USER: ReallyPissedOff50BloodyBoiledCabbagesShovedUpYourA ssIfYouDontGiveMeAccessNow

WINDOWS: Sorry, that password is already in use.