Revealed! The Deadly Mistakes You're Making While Creating Your Password!

In this piece, we will explore the complexities of understanding the psychological factors behind creating passwords. We will also highlight common mistakes in password management. Our goal is to give readers a brief understanding of the basic principles of password security.

Understanding Password Psychology:

The mystery of password creation is a complex combination of psychology and behaviour. The way we create passwords often shows our thinking patterns, personal preferences, and how we organize information. Many people use familiar data like names, dates, or phrases as their passwords, which makes them easy to guess. This happens because we prioritize accessibility and convenience over security. The biggest challenge in creating passwords is to make them hard for others to guess but easy for us to remember.

A true conundrum, wouldn't you agree?

The Illusion of Complexity:

A mistake that many individuals make is believing that the complexity of a password ensures its security. To some extent, it does. However, it is not an absolute truth. Length often proves to be a more crucial factor in creating a secure password than complexity. Lengthy passwords that incorporate uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols provide stronger resistance against brute-force attacks.

Password Habits and Their Pitfalls

We often rely on certain habits when creating passwords, some of which are not particularly beneficial for our security. How?

Using the Same Password:

One of the most common and potentially costly password mistakes is utilizing the same password across multiple accounts. While it may be convenient and easy to remember, it increases vulnerability, as one compromised account can grant an attacker access to all of your accounts.

Not Updating Passwords Regularly:

How frequently do you change your passwords? If your response is 'not often,' you are not alone. Many of us are guilty of adhering to the same password for an extended period of time. Maintaining fresh passwords and regularly updating them significantly enhances your account security.

Password Do’s and Don’ts:

Cybersecurity is a growing concern for businesses of all sizes, and it is no surprise that cybercrime is a lucrative industry.

The Worst Password Mistakes and How to Fix Them

Follow these do's and don'ts to avoid putting yourself (and your company) at risk.

And while it is natural to take shortcuts, if you have ever experienced a cyber-attack, you understand the value of a strong password.

Most individuals have a basic understanding of cyber security, but it is highly probable that your perception of a strong password differs significantly from that of an IT professional's.

Password DO’s:

1. Create strong passwords

You may think you're clever by combining your best friend's first name, your first pet, and the street you grew up on as your password. While this may help you remember your password, it's not strong enough.

It's better to use a combination of characters, numbers, and symbols to create a strong password.

Pro Tip: Start with a memorable phrase like "I want to go to India." Now, convert it to a password by using the first letter of each word and changing the word "to" to the number "2": iw2g2i! Then, add an exclamation point at the end.

Finally, include the capital first and last letter of the website you're on using your new password.

For instance, if you need an Instagram password, this password would become Iiw2g2i!K. This method provides you with a strong password that is completely unique to you!

2. Change your passwords regularly

While this is a best practice for all websites, it is particularly crucial for email accounts, online banking, and any other websites that store highly sensitive information. It is recommended, at the very least, to change your passwords every 3 months.

3. Keep your passwords safe.

If you follow the password generation method mentioned above, you will always be able to recall your password for different websites. However, there are several password managers like Last Pass, RoboForm, and Kaspersky Password Manager that can make the process of remembering your password effortless. (Don't worry, I will cover all about password managers in my next article.)

4. Enable 2-Step Verification.

Also known as multi-factor authentication, this additional security measure is commonly found on online banking and Gmail accounts. 2-step verification is also becoming increasingly popular on websites like Facebook. Multi-factor authentication connects your username and password with a secondary email or phone number – or sometimes, a fingerprint. This guarantees that only you have access to your account.

Password DON’Ts:

5. Don’t use the same password on every website.

I am amazed by the high number of individuals who utilize the identical password for all websites. Not only are these passwords generally insecure, but they are also employed across numerous different platforms!

According to TeleSign, people, on average, employ merely 6 distinct passwords to safeguard 24 separate online accounts. Avoid committing this error.

6. Don’t allow your browser to save your password.

Just as you wouldn't want your browser to save all your payment details, it's best to prevent others from viewing your passwords on your PC or mobile device.

Did you know...

In Firefox, if you don't enable a master password, anyone with physical access to your computer can view your saved passwords by clicking options > show passwords? It's recommended to avoid using browser saved passwords entirely. Use a secure password manager instead – it's that simple!

7. Don’t use personal information when creating a password.

It is quite common for individuals to use their birthday as a password.

What is even more widespread is the use of common words. Hackers have tools that are based on dictionaries to crack these types of passwords. Therefore, make sure to follow the first tip in this article and create passwords that are as random and meaningless as possible.

Wrapping It All Up

In the world of digital security, it is important to understand password psychology and avoid common mistakes. However, this is just the beginning. To enhance password protection, it is recommended to enable two-factor authentication and use password management tools for added security. Ultimately, your password serves as the initial defence in the vast online world. Are you making it easy for intruders to breach that defence?

Or are you strengthening your security with strong, regularly updated passwords?

The decision is yours.

Keep your passwords and your peace of mind intact!