6 tips for strong passwords and why you need them in the first place

You constantly need passwords on your PC, your Xbox, PS5 or for banking. MeinMMO gives you a few tips and explains why strong passwords are important.

Why do I need a strong password? Passwords protect your account or data, and you typically don’t want anyone else to have access to them or use your bank account to shop.

The stronger your password, the harder it is for thieves or hackers to figure it out. And they use some nasty tricks to get your code. A long, strong, and complex password makes it all the more difficult for such people to get your information.

Therefore, here are a few tips and hints on what you should keep in mind for your future passwords.

1. Does not use personal information

If you want a strong password, avoid using personal information. These include about

• Names of family, friends or pets
• birthdays
• your personal address or place of birth
• Numbers like phone numbers or anniversaries

This makes you vulnerable, since such information can often be found online. If you save your Facebook account with your birthday or the name of your partner, don’t be surprised if your account is suddenly used by someone else.

2. Do not use the same password for different accounts

The more passwords you use in everyday life, the more you have to remember. This is all the easier, many think, if you simply protect different accounts with the same password. It is precisely this convenience that thieves can exploit.

Because on the Darknet you can buy databases that contain login data and passwords. If your password was leaked there and you use it for different accounts, then it is all the easier for hackers to get hold of your data. It is best if you use different passwords.

3. Avoid “real” words

Words are easy to remember because we use them all the time in our language. But hackers can use it too. Because there are dictionaries that hackers can use to quickly check and crack passwords. If you use a single word for your password, then the attackers have it all the easier.

In the best case, you use snippets of words or replace individual letters with numbers. Such small adjustments can have a big impact.

4. Use long passwords

Passwords consisting of about 3 letters can be cracked in a few moments and do not protect your data at all.

The longer the password, the longer it takes for the hackers to know your password. In a “brute force attack”, for example, a computer program goes through all possible combinations of letters, numbers and symbols as quickly as possible in order to crack the password. The longer and more extensive your password, the longer it takes. 3 letter passwords are cracked in a second.

5. Uses crazy letter combinations

Long passwords that contain random words and phrases are really strong. They are also all the more difficult to crack if the letter combinations cannot be found in the dictionary or your password is not grammatically correct.

In the best case, you mix numbers, symbols and both upper and lower case letters to build a particularly strong password.

These combinations can also be remembered very well in some cases. For example, if you have a favorite sentence, you can use the first letters of each word in the correct upper and lower case, as well as the punctuation marks. Since you can remember the phrase, it’s easier for you to remember the combination of the password as well.

6. Changes passwords regularly

Constantly changing your password sounds like work and probably very few of you are very keen on constantly remembering new passwords. But depending on which data or access you protect with the password, the safer it is to change a password from time to time. Especially if you notice that you are already using the password elsewhere.

What do you think of the tips? Do you take these for granted or can’t they be repeated often enough? Discuss with each other in the comments and tell us if you have any other exciting tips.