Creating a Strong Password

A strong password is a password that is difficult for others to determine by guessing or by using automated programs.

To create a strong password that is easy for you to remember but hard for someone else to determine, try one of these techniques:

• Merge two or more words, and combine the words with numbers and symbols. For example: Walk[My]Dog, Po#34tato, Champions=1995.
• Abbreviate a phrase you'll remember. It could include numbers and symbols, or words that you can substitute with numbers or symbols. For example: I ride my bike 5 miles each Saturday could become the password Irmb5meS.
• Use punctuation and numbers to combine the initials of people or objects from a familiar group, such as your favorite athletes, friends, movies, books, or historical figures. For example: Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln, and Joan of Arc could become the password 1G,2AL,JA.
• Drop all vowels from a favorite saying, and then add numbers or symbols. For example: Walk three dogs could become the password Wlk3Dgs.

To be strong, a password must:

• Contain at least seven, but no more than 16, characters.
• Combine three of the four different types of characters:
  • Uppercase letters (for example: A, B, C).
  • Lowercase letters (for example: a, b, c).
  • Numerals (for example: 1, 2, 3).
  • Symbols (` ~ ! @ # $ % ^ & * ( ) _ + - = { } | [ ] \ : " ; ' < > ? , . /).
• Not be a common word or name, or a close variation.

Some service providers require that a strong password also:

• Not be the same as any of your four previous passwords.
• Not be a minor variation of your old password. For example, if your old password was Champions=1995, a new password of Champions=1996 would not be acceptable.