Magic number of characters a strong password should have

Creating a secure username and password are two necessary requirements in many applications and online services that we access on a daily basis. Many of these services are free, but in order to create a unique profile you need to sign up with an email and password. But to do so we need that it meets a series of characteristics so that it does not influence our tasks.

Having a strong password is essential

Magic number of characters a strong password should have

Practically all the devices, websites and applications that we use today ask us for a secure password to access. And for many, remembering them all is practically impossible, so we end up using too simple passwords that compromise our cybersecurity.

Thus, the so-called passwords with sequences of numbers and letters , like the classic QWERTYUI , are clearly much easier to remember. But they are also an open door for hackers to break into our profiles and steal our data. The risks increase when, in addition, we use the same password for all our profiles and accounts.

Therefore, we can say that these are essential to keep hackers away from our accounts. But how can we create a secure and compliant password? What are some of the best password ideas ? Here we will answer these questions.

Choose complex and strong keys

All in all, what we see is that the best passwords are long, hard to guess, and unique . All this is true and we are not going to get tired of repeating it, especially when we have several password managers at hand that can do it for us.

However, even a password built by mixing lowercase, uppercase, numbers, and special symbols can also be fertile ground for cybercriminals. A study by the security company Hive Systems found that, for example, a complex eight-character key could be cracked in just 39 minutes.

Crear contraseñas seguras complejas

Not to mention the only numerical passwords. According to the same version, one of between four and 11 characters can be instantly guessed. Even an 18-figure could be breached in three weeks. Although life is short-lived and rarely extends for more than a century, experts believe that even a 17-character one with only lowercase letters is risky. So which are the best? To avoid scares, you have to choose more complex and strong passwords, which do not make things easy for hackers

Minimum 8 characters

Do you know how many computer passwords use the date of birth, the name of a user’s child or the numbers 123456 ? Thousands, millions of them. Therefore, it is convenient to know some guidelines so that the password you choose is secure.

Among them, for example, it is important that you know that a strong key can be one that contains at least 8 characters . The secret is to combine letters and numbers in the middle of the sentence. Many people tend to put the number at the end and although this is a good option, you can create more secure passwords by changing certain letters to numbers (at the beginning, for example).

  • Strong passwords should combine letters, numbers, and special symbols in addition to uppercase and lowercase letters.
  • It is recommended that it be at least 8 characters long. The more characters, the safer.
  • Once you have created secure passwords for each application or website, if you suspect that your password may have been compromised, you must change it.
  • It is recommended to change the passwords from time to time.
  • If we have a problem with password management and we tend to forget them frequently, let’s not fall into the typical actions of writing them down in a workbook or in a post. Let’s make use of a professional password manager.
  • If we use the question and answer method in case of forgetting the password, let’s make sure that only we know the answer.
  • Although it seems obvious… let’s not tell anyone our passwords!