Password creation, Password Manager and 2FA

Hackers have been easily able to gain access to a lot of users' data because of weak passwords. Creating a strong password helps you from identity theft, stealing personal or sensitive information, protects you from personal attack and getting access to other accounts (which most probably share similar passwords).It also helps you to avoid the hackers hacking your account for negative campaigns.

Some of the don’ts in creating a strong password are:

• Do not make passwords containing your DOB, spouse name, celebrity crush, etc… this can be guessed by people who know you well. They can guess your password easily
• Do not use dictionary words as your password (both foreign or English)
• Do not create the same or similar passwords for different accounts. Because if one of your accounts is hacked it will be easier to hack other accounts.
• 123456, qwerty and the word “password” are the most commonly used passwords. DO NOT USE THEM. They are easy to hack.

Now that we know what we should not use as password let us see how we can create a strong password:

• Mix capital and small letters
• Add numbers and characters
• The password must be long

Let us see an example:

• For the sake of an example let us take the word: cyber security as our password
• Select the first 2 letters of each word (you can select any letter). Now the password has become: cyse
• Decide which letter should be in caps: CysE
• Next add numbers: 1Cy9sE5
• Next add characters to it: (1)[email protected]
• And your password is ready - (1)[email protected]

But it is very difficult to create and remember a lot of passwords for all the accounts that we have.This is where Password Managers come into play. Password Manager is used to save all your passwords of all the different accounts you have In simple words, password managers are like a book containing all your passwords. They make different passwords for every account you create and you need not worry about not remembering them.The best free password manager you can use is KeePass XC. You can even use the help of 2 factor authentication/ 2FA. Using 2FA is complementary to strong passwords and/or using a password manager. It's another level of defence against account hijacking. Eg, biometric 2FA like fingerprint, face scan, vocal prints etc. Whatsapp currently has, in the wake of hacking reports, implemented 2FA for all its users. You use a 6 digit code known only to you. Thus the hacker will not be able to hack into your Whatsapp account.