What’s your password? You know, the ONE password you use for everything. If you have an answer to that question then you need to keep reading. A recent study by an internet security company (ZoneAlarm) listed the top three user passwords:
1. 123456
2. 12345
3. 123456789
It gets worse. The fourth most popular password was…password. They go on to offer tips on creating a great password and I think their formula is great. Here’s the formula I use to come up with my passwords. Please keep in mind that I sign up for a massive amount of on-line services to test them out for my podcasting audience and clients so I needed a system that would allow me to sign up quickly and not store that password.
Name of service or site (4-8 letters) + upper case letter(1) + symbol(1) + lower case letter(1) + number(1) = 8-12 character password
Real life examples
Here’s where it gets simple instead of confusing. Just repeat the last four characters for your other passwords.
Hootsuite = hootT*y9
Gmail = emailT*y9
Mailchimp = mailT*y9
Keep it fresh
Changing your passwords every 3-6 months is a great idea so my suggestion is to keep a list of the services you use this system for but never write your password down anywhere. Do let at least one person know your pass code in case its needed in an emergency situation.
Here is a link to the original info graphic by ZoneAlarm
