Dealing with Passwords

Managing all your passwords can sometimes feel overwhelming. It doesn't have to be. Here's a quick guide on making it easier to manage your passwords.

Email, social media, file-sharing, banking, transport, entertainment... Nowadays, most people have dozens of accounts online — and almost all of them need passwords. Managing all your passwords can sometimes feel overwhelming.

It doesn't have to be. Here's a quick guide on making it easier to handle your passwords.

KNOW YOUR VITALS

Not all online accounts are equal. Some are 'nice to have'; others are CRITICAL - losing them will seriously disrupt your life.
These are usually accounts related to your money and your identity.

Focus first on the accounts vital to your life; make sure the passwords for these are top-notch. Once they're secured, move on to the less important stuff.

• WEBMAIL - Accounts used to recover passwords for other accounts.
• BANKS, CREDIT CARDS, LOANS - Accounts with direct access to your finances.
• ONLINE SHOPPING - Accounts with your credit card or bank details.
• REPUTATION - Accounts identifying you, your work or affiliations.
• FILE-SHARING - Accounts with documents on your finances or security.
• IMAGE-SHARING - Accounts with images of you or your loved ones.

MAKE IT UNIQUE. MAKE IT STRONG.

Next, give your vital accounts a unique, strong password. The easiest way to do that is to use a simple, easy-to-remember system that lets you create many passwords with little effort. Here are a couple of systems you can try (but don't use the example passwords shown here).

1. BASE/PIN

Combine the BASE and PIN to create a unique password for each site.

THE BASE: aMa229. Identifies the site (e.g., Amazon). It's different for each site and can be written down somewhere.

THE PIN: lolcat! (keep this secret). A short sequence that always stays the same. Memorize this.

Add the PIN to the front, back or even middle of the BASE:

• lolcat!aMa229
• aMa229lolcat!
• aMalolcat!229

2. PHRASE PLAY

Find a phrase that's easy to remember - a song lyric, a rhyme - and use variations of it as a password for each site.

The phrase: Why on earth must I create so many passwords

You can play around with the phrase in many ways.

• Use it as-is: whyonearthmustI
• Make an acronym: woemicsmp
• Use alternate character: hoerhutceeoasod

3. PASSWORD GENERATOR

There are many programs, apps and even scripts that can save you the headache and quickly generate passwords for your accounts. Give them a try. Make sure the result is unique and strong.

4. CREATE YOUR OWN

Play around and build a creation system of your own. Just keep the following in mind:

• 8 or more characters: no less than 8 characters; the more the better
• Mix character types: AA aa 1234 !@#$. Many sites demand a mix of uppercase, lowercase, numbers and special characters
• Reset question: What is your pet's name? The answer for the password reset question should also be unique, strong, and not found anywhere online