Tips on secure passwords
A good password
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comprises at least 8 (ideally 10) characters
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contains at least 2 letters, using both uppercase and lowercase letters
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contains at least 2 numbers or special characters, where possible not just at the beginning and/or end
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is easy to memorize
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can be typed quickly (without being seen by someone looking over your shoulder)
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does not follow a (discernible) system—that is, appears to be random
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is not a word in a known language
- is only known to the password owner.
As a general rule, you should choose different passwords for different usernames.
Below, we provide some methods for generating secure passwords that meet the above requirements but are easy to remember.
As a rule, do not memorize the password but rather the method used to create it!
In the following, we would like to familiarize you with various rules for creating secure passwords:
1. Acronym method
You write a sentence and then use the first and/or last letters of the individual words to create a password, additionally using at least 2 numbers or special characters.
Examples:
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Ywas&tutf& = You write a sentence and then use the first and (the beginning of the sentence above)
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f9t10:Sip = from 9 to 10: Smoking is prohibited
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W?BAn@A! = Where? By Aldi no at Aldi!
2. Double-word method
Select 2 words (authors, actors, hobbies, etc.) and cleverly shorten and interlace them, also additionally supplementing them with special characters.
Examples:
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Ba+Fo;Go+Sch = Balzac and Fontane; Goethe and Schiller
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S:LaO!Ha = Stan : Laurel Oliver ! Hardy
3. Collage method
Select a word from a natural language and translate the word into another languages or, better yet, 2 other languages. Then, take 2 or 3 letters from the beginning, middle or end of these words and combine them with numbers or special characters. To increase the security, you should also use uppercase and lowercase letters.
Examples:
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hou:17Hau = house and Haus; your house number is 17
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P:rs$val = Pferd : horse $ cheval
Multiple usernames
If you have several usernames and must therefore memorize multiple passwords, we advise creating systematic password families. This means a password comprising 6–7 characters according to the method described above. You can then supplement this password with 1–2 characters that allow you to differentiate between the different usernames (computer name or purpose of the protected application). Another option for managing multiple passwords is a password safe— that is, a program that stores passwords in a highly encrypted database. This must then be protected with a particularly strong password.
4. Random method
If you select 8 characters at random or at least very arbitrarily, you will create an unsurpassable password in terms of security— supposedly. Due to the fact that such passwords are often very difficult to memorize and to enter blindly, they only appear to be secure. If you have to enter a password in the presence of others and then have to rely on the hunt-and-peck typing method when entering it, it is easier for those present to see the entered character sequence without attracting attention. Or, in the worst case, you cannot remember the super-secure password at all and thus write it down somewhere.
Here is a tip in case you prefer this method: complicated passwords are reliably remembered only through frequent use, so you should log in half a dozen times after changing your password and then do so at least once a week to remember it reliably.
General information
These rules are intended only to serve as suggestions. We want each user to create their own algorithm or at least to modify the suggestions provided here. This will prevent the new generation of hacking programs, which already focus on these recommended rules, from being successful. Do not use the examples listed here as a password in any circumstances.