How Strong is My Password?

How strong is my password is a free tool to check the strength of your password. The password strength checker checks to see if your password has a good combination of characters, letters, digits, and special symbols.

Password Strength Checker

The password checker will check how secure your password is. Simply enter the password in the above field and the password strength check will let you know whether your password is weak or strong. We will never save or store your passwords. Once you leave the site, the password is gone forever. To create a strong password, it is recommended that you have a password that is at least 12 characters in length and contains at least an uppercase letter, a lowercase letter, a number, and a special symbol. You can use the password generator to create a strong and secure password and test it with the password checker.

How to create a strong password for 2022?

With the rise in cyber attacks and identity thieves in recent years, it is now more important than ever to have strong and secure passwords for your accounts to protect yourself from being hacked. Following is a guide on how to create a strong password for 2022.

1. Create a long password - a strong password should have at least 8 characters, but the longer the better. We recommend 16 characters as they are the most secure.
2. Combination of letters, numbers, and special characters - use at least one lowercase and uppercase letter, number, and special character to create an uncrackable password.
3. Avoid sequential letters and numbers - don't use letters like "ABC" or "123" in your password as these can be easily cracked by experienced hackers.
4. Don't use names - avoid using any names, such as the names of a friend or family, or a pet.
5. Don't use addresses - don't use any part of your address in the password, such as the zip code, or the street name.
6. Don't use birthdays - don't use your birthday or the birthday of a family member in the password. Hackers have a way to guess or find out about these special dates.
7. Don't use your job title, hobby, or interest - if playing chess is a hobby, don't use the word "chess" in your password. If watching sport is something that you like to do, don't use the word "sport" or the name of the type of sport that you like to watch.
8. Don't use anything that is related to you or something that you own - if you own a Toyota or a Tesla, don't use them as your password.
9. Don't use a word from the dictionary - if a word can be found in the dictionary, avoid that word. Instead, use random strings for your password.

The above 9 steps are the best practice for creating a strong password in 2022. The next step is to protect your password from being exposed.

How to protect your password?

After you create your password, it is time to protect it from unwanted hands. Following are a few tips on how to protect your password and keep your accounts safe.

1. Don't write it down - never write down your password as it opens up the possibility of someone getting your password.
2. Don't store it on your computer - never store your password on a computer as it is not safe to do especially if your computer is shared with others.
3. Don't store them online - always log out when you are done with a website. Never store the password on the sites.
4. Keep your password unique - don't reuse your password across different accounts and websites. Create a unique password for each account.
5. Don't change passwords too often - changing passwords often makes you forget your passwords. Instead, create strong passwords and stick with them longer.
6. Avoid free public WIFI - public WIFI is not that secure. Never use them to log in to websites.
7. Never login into public computers - don't log in using a shared computer. If other people have access to that computer, your password could be stolen.
8. Always log out - once you are done with a website, make sure you log out.
9. Use two-factor login - most secure websites now offer two-step logins. For two-factor, you will need a password and a trusted device to access the site, which offers additional security to protect you from being hacked.
10. Use a password manager - let's face it, if we create strong passwords for all the accounts that we need, there is no way we can remember all these passwords without writing them now. That's where a password manager comes in handy. A password manager allows you to keep all your passwords in one place and the only password that you need to remember is the one that you use to log in to the password manager.

Why do we need a strong password?

There are many hackers out there trying to steal financial information from users. They do that by hacking into company websites and personal computers. Every day, there is someone somewhere getting hacked and losing money. An easy password makes the hacker's life easier as it can be cracked in under five seconds or less. Hackers could gain access to your online accounts and ruin your financial life. Some very strong passwords are impossible to crack and may take hackers years to do so. That's why we need to use strong passwords for all of our accounts, so hackers won't get our passwords easily.

Why do we need longer passwords?

There are many ways that a hacker can steal your information, such as guessing, malware, and brute force. A computer program can guess easy passwords in under a few seconds. Longer passwords are harder to crack, especially if it consists of a combination of characters, letters, and special characters. The more digits that we add to a password, the more exponential difficulty it gets for a hacker to guess our password right.

What does a compromised password mean?

A compromised password means that the password has been exposed in data breaches. It could be that a company that you have an account with has been hacked because of a security flaw in their website. In a data breach like this, user passwords and other personal information may have been exposed online. Therefore, it is no longer safe to use that password even if it is a strong one. If your password is compromised, it is highly recommended that you never use that password again. You should create a new strong and secure password to replace the compromised one.

Common Weak Passwords

A weak and insecure password makes a hacker's life easy. They can crack it quickly. Unfortunately, there are still millions of people who use easy-to-guess passwords like the following for their accounts.

• 123456789
• Password1
• 12345678
• 12345
• letmein
• 1234567890
• 1234
• Password
• 1234567
• Qwerty123

These passwords should be avoided at all costs. Even for an unimportant forum registration deserves a stronger password than the ones listed above.

Strong Password Examples

• A-9ADpAGS>fMun&Y
• YRVo*jLA.'?@PnV_
• MbQI^'lAWS-NvyqY
• Bp3vU\OVz!TU^.~<
• h^<H9q8p(j-Bel@P
• jKG-b-GaLrmszG'i
• f<=dBW}g@Sa6K;!Q
• Y82})-nRAIO1_)"q
• ak5`H(uvk78ItLbE
• z.'bB0J*.m7plc<k
• g=y?qA1?Z{a.hNuk
• T(7BLQrQHI~\?bRg
• LT(4NyWtu~Et0I-$
• Nd<i<9,0q>dF^Ql6
• wh.ygRYZyTGA;<e>
• F-7*"8W!IR`EGEK0
• P64qNf.euT?A,kUr
• c(i6N|S=)gl\wb-<
• d)9vahAaHzjPAuC7
• z*VH6%ms!OOmh}>Z
• vld(r2gL~9w3p9Bf
• vI`'4C4O)CW}R)WE
• lbv`&$N(XK88&68G
• c.:!c&*FPH.g-a)8
• d)niTGR"w">i\GqW
• iZH'i>q&{GZYCzW|
• B;^$~@32fn6A/QK{
• W,QrcmGncZQC;T@)
• G\uz*^"7}h:me}_=
• k-'zKR~hv5I>v~5s
• l~Yxo;'@Y3IZJ$ZB
• O7N_RW}*c:(/AtYq
• B=d@E0P,O!\GTB^@
• CzeU%\(ejHBVQ=ii
• U-N8wnVUU~$Q(wz=
• PZ8nz|r,"Z^kPbOT
• lX2*A`,Aji(tHPt,
• HFX`{V*}%NBvIf;G
• Fi',%>U%j?*XrxiF
• E.C/V)6m/hinAvVU
• ZBHTJ}SNy"y0|U){
• NC2N$bFpguq~yr$y
• D?s}Syw^p:E1N/Go
• yTJmB06vd140?,I-
• s/DxcOkoT}re=_jw
• C*`x`@Du(-=Lm<$w
• f\raK%>Q/0E#D,E3
• S.^@1Q)W^:MmbQkf
• OW8iv|.a4`{OQkw/
• w}19mV-Y=l>U2v^x
• HCJVexTOe3eR_a}?
• u|%Pn&/X_C/O`W*j
• s01RaD#^9)ln$8fz
• bGZP4LdU4zVj|O45
• kidYurfpPF%D,-eu
• C<Aj|e,Oj34Jz.%m
• P'0X(w~EY\w}xzPU
• l#a%n`VSUET;:&9u
• e~y@rg{WDKg4P9X<
• EwLB#Us/}<u@c;B!
• wqL3%}90#~3&KW\E
• u*G`u!;hZ&2>)xwT
• Lhs\B998X7:)P);B
• vB3k3E#"&o)IrI~v
• xOUCT"kIx{(K"`@M
• Nkpgfw$L7;uW*mn?
• cD2ZyaxYT22aH,{F
• JAg_&RXzEaIgpxd&
• cvQ#\.aE`=NSgV.;
• fIVP>EhpT>K=>:Ne
• cPcY\:2YRL^iw%uy
• Bac;`#)I^s%1W@Xp
• ye_W~(rN2HO~Fj2U
• hKzpw?&\O/hTao*m
• qvYs8GLCJ>&_vj%Q
• U)2Kzzh19cJl$?`A
• B--f{6VNsV^LS=OS
• d.0Z9ZtFOB%WXTO:
• D)"Jgc.95.gBlaRc
• d7:;}h*eY'XWELK#
• ii#f^Q5fxGo^#;F0
• ZKSN>rcz5L/;ra<U
• JXLBT68~>a>Dg%qF
• O^@^\<.#VeU^AcpX
• T'EE!C7al%<Nn4(B
• a{o-ew,,:l>TXa>`
• Vlzf$fh><)KElnN=
• zsLD&_!HLZhNsGpz
• vR3V&:!KF>V-5#E-
• Kc'hGQmrCDEQs_?H
• PM`F6t0t}^CBlPP<
• mwo5p7)!WVGD7qTx
• WVcR2#wL0nGnhmEa
• COXMmfMTvGe=e:KJ
• em%QabY{rtoy>3SV
• VfBHuUc/LZo2QT}C
• D3Jj?Poc5H}1?s53
• Mh$qXClJ^wOURgES
• b".njIsst9z8e|="
• Y)2"'E}#RH{;i"pz

How Do Hackers Crack Passwords?

Hackers do not guess passwords manually, they use computer programs that can try 1 million passwords in under a second. There are two main ways hackers use to get your password.

1. Brute Force Attack

A brute force attack is when a hacker uses a script to repeatedly crack your password until he gets it.

2. Dictionary Attack

A dictionary attack is when a hacker uses all the words from a dictionary to check if you are using words from a dictionary as passwords. The best way to stop hackers from getting your password is to use a strong password that is a mix of lowercase characters, uppercase characters, numbers, and numbers. You should also make your password long. The longer the password, the harder it is for hackers to crack. A very secure password should be at least 16 characters long.

How Do Hackers Get Passwords?

1. Email Scams

Hackers send out mass emails from accounts that they collect on the internet. These emails may contain links to the hacker's website and they collect data when visitors visit their websites. Some of these phishing emails may look like official emails sent from reputable companies or government entities. Others may be fake password reset emails that ask the recipients to reset their passwords. Once the recipient follows the link, they could become the hacker's next victim.

How to prevent email scam

Modern email providers like Gmail have strong built-in spam filters. Over 95% of phishing emails go to the Spam folder automatically. Avoid clicking on any link that these emails contain. From time to time, some of the phishing emails might still fall through the cracks and land in your Inbox. If you receive an email that looks suspicious, do not click on any link it contains.

2. Malware

Some spammy websites may ask their visitors to install downloadable software for their computer or mobile device. They may use scare tactics to trick visitors into installing their software. For example, A popup might occur upon a visit telling the visitor that their computer is infected with a virus, and in order to remove this virus, they have to install their software or app. After the user downloads the app, the hackers might be able to spy on the user for all his activities.

How to prevent malware

Do not install any software or app from an untrusted source. If you see a popup telling you that you have a virus or malware in your computer, leave that site immediately. Install antivirus and malware removal software to scan your computer regularly for viruses and malware. If you feel that your computer is slowing down tremendously, there might be a good chance that your computer is infected.

3. Data breaches

Even when we did nothing wrong, we could still become victims of cyber crimes when there are data breaches from major companies. Data breaches happen when there is a security flaw in their websites or systems that allow hackers to gain access to the accounts of their customers. In 2017, over 148 million data were exposed from the Equifax data breach. And then there is the Neopets data breach that contains the personal data of its 69 million members. Hackers use these data breaches to steal usernames and passwords from millions of users.

How to prevent data breaches

Unfortunately, there is really not much you can do if you are a victim of a data breach.  However, there are things that you can do to monitor and minimize the impact of a data breach. Hackers can apply for credit cards and open credit if they have access to your information.  Therefore, you should Check your credit score and credit report regularly to see if there are any unusual activities.

1. If you see any new credit open that doesn't belong to you, you should contact the 3 credit bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Ask them to put a credit freeze to prevent hackers from opening new credit under your name. Unfortunately, a credit freeze will also stop you from opening a new credit until you unfreeze it. You can consider signing up for the credit bureaus' monitoring service to monitor unusual activities.
2. Change the passwords to your important account immediately.

Stay Safe Online

Creating a strong password is the first step in staying safe online. Create a password with a minimum length of 16, and a mix of uppercase characters, lowercase characters, numbers, and symbols.