What Makes a Strong Password?
A strong password is the foundation of your online security. The most secure passwords share these key characteristics:
- Length - At least 12 characters long, with 16+ characters being ideal for important accounts
- Complexity - A mix of uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters
- Unpredictability - Avoids common words, phrases, or obvious personal information
- Uniqueness - Different from all your other passwords and never previously used
How Passwords Get Compromised
Understanding the common ways passwords are stolen or cracked can help you better protect your accounts:
- Brute Force Attacks - Automated programs that try every possible character combination
- Dictionary Attacks - Attempts using common words, phrases, and known password patterns
- Credential Stuffing - Using username/password combinations leaked from one service to try on other websites
- Phishing - Deceptive emails or websites that trick you into revealing your password
- Keyloggers - Malicious software that records your keystrokes
The Math Behind Password Security
The security of a password is measured by the number of possible combinations an attacker would need to try to guess it correctly. For example:
- An 8-character password using only lowercase letters has 268 = 208 billion possible combinations
- An 8-character password using lowercase, uppercase, numbers, and symbols has 958 = 6.6 quadrillion possible combinations
- A 16-character password with all character types has 9516 = 4.4 × 1031 possible combinations
This is why using our password generator to create long, complex passwords dramatically increases your security. A modern computer might crack an 8-character password in days, but would need billions of years to crack a secure 16-character random password.