Basic Rules for Managing Passwords (2 minute read)

You’ve heard it a million times, ”Make sure your passwords are long, strong, and unique.”  You know in your heart of hearts if you've implemented good password practices. If you haven’t, now is the time to make your passwords better.

Even if a service you use also uses security keys or an SMS text or other authentication tool, you will likely still need a password as one step of creating and account to log on or as backup.

Make it strong

But what exactly does that mean? How do you make sure your password is strong & protected without it being a hassle to remember? These tips below will make password management safer and simpler. 

• Use a Password Manager like Lastpass, or  browser based password managers in Chrome, Edge, or Firefox.  Password managers will auto-create strong passwords and auto-fill your passwords, while keeping them stored on encrypted servers, safe from hacks. 

If for some odd reason you still decide to go old school and create your own passwords, here's some advice to follow:

• Don’t reuse passwords: Just don't. 
• Avoid words and character combinations that can be associated with you. Avoid words, numbers, or phrases - such as your street name, your kid’s name, your birthday, and anything else that can be found out about you publicly like from details in your social media accounts. 
• Longer is better: At least 8 characters is the recommended length.   A passphrase ( a series of words) is fine. Use a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, a number, and a symbol (most sites require this)
• Not all accounts are created equally. You likely have accounts that don’t have much personal information. Perhaps you subscribe to something like a recipe site  with no personal information beyond your email.  You don’t need a 16 character random generated password to protect this account but also don’t reuse a password. See DDC's Account protection hierarchy.
• Maybe you don’t need a password at all: Many online services, like retailers, allow you to make a purchase as a guest. If you only are going to use the site once or infrequently, then take advantage of the guest process. If you use an online payment system like PayPal you don’t even have to give any kind of payment information. That’s one less password to create and immediately forget.

Learn More: What is a Password Manager?, Google’s Help Center article on Password Management.