Choosing a strong password and remembering it
Living in the modern world is awesome, until you forget your password. The golden rule is to not use the same password for everything, but how then do you remember an arm’s-length of random numbers and letters to give you access to your personal info, from your Instagram to your bank account? We can tell you now that scribbling down on a piece of paper and leaving it in your wallet isn’t the best idea. It’s time to find a better strategy.
Are you guilty of using one of the five most commonly used passwords, according to SplashData? Shame on you!
123456
password
12345678
qwerty
12345
So how do you choose a password that’s not only safe but unforgettable too?? Here are a few steps to help you with that:
1. ThRoW IN SoMe mIXed cASEs.
2. Swap numbers and punctuation for letters. For example, replace E with 3, L with 1, S with 5, I with !, A with @, C with <.
3. Create a formula. It could be anything - [Your birthday] + [Your mom’s maiden name] + [account name]. So that might be [19/08] + [Snel] + [Instagram] = 19/08Snelinstagram or 19/08Snelfacebook depending on where you’re creating the password for.
4. Use a line from your favourite song or movie, like “BlameItOnTheBoogie” or "ETphonehome." Not all accounts will let you do this, but it is a good way to remember a long password if you do.
Now that we’ve created the password of all passwords, we need to remember it. Have you tried out iCloud Keychain? Keychain keeps your Safari website usernames and passwords, credit card details and Wi-Fi network information up to date across all of your devices that are using iOS 7.0.3 or later. Keychain also keeps the accounts you use in Mail, Contacts, Calendar and Messages up to date.
You could also try out some apps from the App Store. Here are two password apps that are easy to use and do the remembering for you:
1Password remembers all your passwords and other sensitive information so you don’t have to. It also generates strong and unique passwords, saves them securely and fills them on websites and in participating apps with just a few taps.
https://itunes.apple.com/za/app/1password-password-manager/id568903335?mt=8
LastPass will secure all your passwords and sign into your sites with TouchID or let you generate new, strong passwords. With LastPass, you only need to remember one password - your LastPass master password.
https://itunes.apple.com/za/app/lastpass-free-password-manager/id324613447?mt=8