- Don't use obvious base-words like a name, birthday or date, these are easier to crack than whole phrases.
- You can also use accented letters. It makes your password much harder.
- Don't use your name, it will be easy to crack!
- Mixing in numbers and letters (E.G.: j78hu5948h0gy67g) can almost be impossible to crack, so try using that tip. If you're afraid you'll forget your password, write it down in a secure place where you won't forget it.
- Take a word (for example, money), spell it backwards (yenom) and put your birthdate in between. Say you were born February 5, 1974. So it would be yfebe5n19o74m. Hard to remember, yes, but also nearly impossibly to crack.
- For even more security, try to use "nonsense words." Combine these with numbers to make memorable, secure passwords. For example, "brickbeak9468."
- If you have trouble remembering all the passwords you need, try using a password manager, they can store all your passwords securely using a single master password.
- Change your passwords periodically or whenever it may have become compromised. Frequent password changing is required by company policy or federal law in some businesses, but may encourage users to choose weaker passwords or write down their password near their computers. Don't re-use an expired password.
- Do not use any passwords you just saw on this page; they are now openly known and easy to find.
- Do not tell anybody your password. Somebody could overhear you, or the person you told could let it slip.
- Do not write your password anywhere where it might be seen or found.